\\\t 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


/O  ■ / ''Cjt 


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Purchased  by  the  Hammill  Missionary  Fund. 


Division 


Section 

Number 


FZ  5.1 3 
.W45Z 

V.  Z 


THE  CAVE-CIIURCn,  ROCK,  AND  VII.I  ACE  OK  SAO  BOM  JK.7.1S  DA  I.APA. 


EXPLORING  AND  TRAVELLING 


THREE  THOUSAND  MILES 
THROUGH  BRAZIL 


FROM  RIO  DE  JANEIRO  TO  MARANHAO 


WITH  AN  APPENDIX  CONTAINING  STATISTICS  AND  OBSERVATIONS  ON 
CLIMATE,  RAILWAYS,  CENTRAL  SUGAR  FACTORIES,  MINING,  COM- 
MERCE, AND  FINANCE  ; THE  PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  FUTURE, 

AND  PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  BRAZIL. 


BY 

JAMES  W. 

M.  INST.  C.F.., 


A 

WELLS, 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  NUMEROUS  REPRODUCTIONS  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S 
SKETCHES,  AND  ORIGINAL  MAPS  AND  SECTIONS. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES 

VOL.  II. 


iLontimt 

SAMPSON  LOW,  MARSTON,  SEARLE,  & RIVINGTON 

CROWN  BUILDINGS,  188,  FLEET  STREET 

1886 


\_All  rights  reseiied] 


LONDON; 

PRINTED  BY  GILBERT  AND  RIVINGTON,  LD., 
ST.  John’s  house*  clerkenwell  road*  e.c. 


I 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM  JANUARIA  TO  MANGA  DO  ARMADOR. 

I 

Our  united  troops — A pleasant  ride  in  the  forest — Fazenda  de  Mo- 
cambo — A Brazilian  gentleman — Luxurious  quarters — Produce 
in  excess  of  demand — Cheap  land — Invisible  ladies — British 
weather — Evidences  of  cultivation — A cattle  farm — A fortunate 
shelter — Rough  fare — A sudden  storm — Limestone  hills — A 
varied  country — Village  of  Jacare — A river  trader — Chaff— We 
astonish  the  natives — A ddtour — A trial  to  one’s  patience — 
Fantastic  forms  of  limestone— A struggle  amidst  thorns, 
brambles,  and  swamps — A vaqueiro’s  house,  grimy  quarters — 
A musical  disturbance — A wet  morning,  a wet  day,  and  a 
flooded  country — Hospitality  refused — A refuge — A damp 
night’s  lodging — A goodnatured  black — A welcome  to  sun- 
shine again — IManga  do  Armador — Low  type  of  inhabitants,  a 
riverside  Wapping — Effects  of  malaria — Probable  future  im- 
provement in  climate  of  River  Valley 


CHAPTER  II. 

FROM  MANGA  DO  ARMADOR  TO  CARINHANHA. 

Another  wet  march — Difficulties  of  passing  flooded  streams — 
Orchids — A varied  vegetation — A jararaca-assu  snake — A 
sensible  woman — Generous  and  kind  hosts — Valueless  mutton 
— An  industrious  and  contented  man— Fazenda  de  Tabud — 
Another  ugly  crossing — Cattle  districts — Ponte  de  Lagoa — 
Mosquitos — A dreary  night— Carousing  black  neighbours — 
Dismal  squalor — A haunt  of  the  demon  sloth — The  riverside 


A 2 


IV 


Contents. 


PAGE 


road — The  rising  of  the  waters — The  boundary  of  Minas 
Geraes  and  Bahia — The  Rio  Carinhanha— The  city  and  its 
inhabitants — Secluded  lives  of  the  females— A long  delay— 
Programme  of  explorations  to  be  made — Climate — Idle  lives — 
Improvidence — A vessel  is  chartered  for  a voyage  down  the 
river — Good-bye  to  old  Tommy .18 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM  CARINHANHA  TO  BARRA  DO  RIO  GRANDE. 

Departure  from  Carinhanha  down  the  river — The  Ajojo — Head 
winds — A mosquito-infested  port — First  night  on  the  river — An 
early  start— River  etiquette — An  impromptu  sail — The  shores 
of  the  river— The  crew — Flooded  lands — A sunset  on  the  river 
— Great  appetites  of  the  crew — A misty  morning — Sao  Bom 
Jezus  da  Lapa — A curious  rock — Who  are  we? — A hospitable 
padre — A riverside  vicarage — A Brazilian  Mecca — The  crew 
ashore — Across  country  on  a raft — The  flood— A falling 
barometer — A squall — A dirty  night — Mosquitos  again — A 
night  voyage — Sitio  de  Matto— Proposed  capital  of  new 
province — The  island  of  fear — Urubii — A sleepy  city— A local 
magnate — The  Brazilian  student — A night  ashore — moun- 
tainous country — The  Carnahuba  palm — Bom  Jardim — An 
excellent  situation  and  healthy  climate — Morro  do  Pard — 

An  adventure — A bad  lot — A geographical  bootmaker — A 
dreamy  night  voyage — A riverside  squatter — The  war  of  the 
Guimaraes — Cidade  da  Barra 30 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FROM  BARRA  DO  RIO  GRANDE  TO  BOQUEIRAO. 

Adeos — The  yacht — Intruders — A swampy  land — A night  in  a 
lagoon — A convenient  “explorer's”  bed — Water-lilies — Difficult 
navigation — Estreita  da  Serra — Hot  weather — A toilsome  pro- 
gress— A river-scene — The  splendid  physique  of  the  bo.atinen — 
Patient  toilers — A tramp  along  the  shore — An  uncouth 
reception — A river  blocked  with  fish — Slow  travelling — On 
mule-back  again  — A jovial  companion  — Boqueirao  — A 
picturesque  situation — A possible  future — A vill.age  school- 
master— Indolence  of  the  Boqueiraoenses — pleasant  even- 
ing— Navigation  of  the  Rio  Grande,  etc.  ...  . . 58 


C()NTKX  rs. 


CHAl’TKR  \'. 

liOQUEIR.lO  TO  SANTA  RITA. 

My  new  troop — I pass  for  anti-Christo — The  Rio  Preto — Mew  class 
of  country — A park-like  land — Marsh  birds — mid-day  halt — 
An  accident — Tamandua — An  exquisite  evening  scene- 

Rodrigues  the  tropeiro — Good  times — .A  soap  tree — Estreita — 
A contented  and  homely  family — Gallinha  d’  Agua — A mandioca 
mill — A batuque  dance — A missing  mule — Countless  butter- 
flies— A prosperous  people — Brazilian  homes — Santa  Rita — A 
hearty  reception — Productions  of  Santa  Rita — The  street — 
Public  officials — Various  routes  to  Goyaz  and  the  Tocantins — 
Dangers  and  difficulties  threaten — Finding  a strayed  mule — 
The  Santa  Ritanas — A wet  day  in  Santa  Rita  .... 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM  SANTA  RITA  TO  FORMOS.A. 

Senhor  Francisco — A medicinal  plant  for  dropsy — Wooded  lands — 
Peixe — Cattle-farmers — Donna  Chiquinha  and  the  Motucas — 
The  Brazilian  Tzetze — A cavalheiro  d’industria — A successful 
gambler — A cold  in  the  tropics — A rich  soil — In  the  forest — A 
tired  mule — Feroz  attacked — Prompt  revenge — Formosa — A 
friend  in  need — Intruders — A rainy  season — The  verdant 
village  of  Formosa — A pretty  riverside — The  tedium  of  delay — 
A prosperous  farmer — Indolence  of  the  natives — Doubtful 
ownership  of  land — The  unknown  Sapao — Preparations  for 
entering  wild  districts — A cultivated  valley — Death  of  Donna 
Chiquinha — A Brazilian  wake — A Brazilian  leather  leggings — 
Rodrigue’s  temerity — Signs  of  fine  weather — A morning’s 
shooting  ........... 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  FORMOSA  TO  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  RIO  SAPIO. 

Additions  to  my  troop — Don  Quixote — Forebodings  of  disaster — 
A wandering  goldsmith — A cattle-farm — Approach  to  the 
Geraes — The  Burity  palm  groves  of  the  Sapao  and  its  mouth 
— Santa  Maria — Indian  raids — The  last  houses — A charming 
situation — Prospects  of  adventure — Rodrigue’s  alarm — Difficul- 
ties of  deciding  upon  a route — The  Rio  Sapao — Jose  Grosso 


I'ACB 


73 


89 


no 


V) 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FROM  THE  MOUTH  TO  THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RIO  SAP.vO. 

r/ 

The  valley  of  the  Sapiio — No  more  roads — Signs  of  game — The 
morasses  of  the  Burity  groves — First  night  in  the  wilds — Sand- 
stone hil  s of  the  Geraes — Picturesque  country — Vampire  bats — 
Runaway  animals — The  Geraes — Tree-lilies — Indications  of 
saline  earth — A glorious  country  for  a ride — Macaws — A night 
alarm — A tapir — A glen  of  sylvan  beauty — The  Cabc9a  de 
Frade,  a ground  cactus — A grim  solitude — A phosphorescent 
fungus,  Jlor  de  coco — Construction  of  the  fort — An  escape 
from  a centipede — Deer-stalking — Ant-hills  and  bees — Great 
quantities  of  honey — The  Don  reports  signs  of  Indians — Day- 
break in  camp — Fording  a morass — A novel  method  of  deer- 
hunting— Indications  of  peccaries — A splendid  climate— Lovely 
nights— Abundance  of  game — The  swamp  of  the  Nove  Galhos 
— Head-quarters  of  the  peccaries — An  awkward  situation — 
Peccaries  v.  dogs— An  obstructed  route — The  valley  again — 
Preparations  to  receive  the  enemy — The  camp — The  attack  of 
the  peccaries — A fierce  onslaught — A wild,  weird  scene — An 
anxious  moment — The  retreat  of  the  peccaries — The  Don 
becomes  deaf — The  garrison  reinforced — The  battle  renewed — 
Rodrigue  trembles — A long  night  of  excitement — The  siege  is 
laiscd  after  great  loss  by  the  enemy — Description  of  the 
peccaries — Corn  in  Egypt— Burity  wine — A perplexing  sight — 

A beautiful  valley — The  source  of  the  Sapao— An  inte.esting 
geographical  discovery — Mysterious  green  grass— Pig-sticking 
— An  ant-bear  speared — The  ant-bear  described — Difficult 
travelling — Sufferings  of  the  mules — An  ascent — The  lakes  of 
the  valley  of  the  watershed — The  equal  altitude  of  flat-topped 
eminences — The  watershed  of  the  Sao  Francisco  and  Tocantins 
— Denudation  of  the  Western  country — A grand  country  for 
cattle-breeding — A clump  of  Pindahibas i 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FROM  THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  S-ATAO  TO  MATTO  GRANDE. 

Goyaz  entered- Prairies — The  gigantic  fortress-like  bluffs  of  the 
Chapada  de  Mangabeira — The  Rio  Diogo — Marching  through 
solitudes — The  tearing  anacondti — The  corn  almost  exhausted 
— Difficulty  of  following  a route — Crossing  the  Corrego  do 
Buraco  do  Diabo — A night-sccnc  in  camp — An  uncertain  route, 
and  corn  all  gone — Strangers  in  sight— A council  of  war— A 


Contents. 


reconnaissance — The  vegetation  of  the  hill-tops— A world  of 
brown  grass- A puzzling  prospe  t — Signs  of  distant  habitations 
— The  trail  of  the  strangcro — A Burity  frond  raft — On  the  track 
of  the  strangers— An  exhilarating  atmosphere — Healthy  cattle 
— Arrival  at  a house — Peace  or  war? — A sturdy  family  of  back- 
woodsmen—The  strangers  discovered — The  outlawed  Araujos 
— A kind  and  hospitible  host — Anybody's  land — The  Sapao 
found  to  be  a short  cut  to  Goyaz — A lonely  habitation — Josd  do 
Matto  Grande  and  his  family— Escape  from  a long  sojourn 
in  a wilderness — A borderland  farm — .Arrival  of  my  troop — 

A night  under  a roof  again — An  exploration  and  hunting 
party — A skirmish  with  the  peccaries — Chased  up  a tree — A 
few  exciting  moments — The  anaconda  snakes  of  the  marshes — 
Habits  of  the  peccaries — Exploring  the  country  . . . . 148 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  MAXrO  GRANDE  TO  PORTO  FRANCO. 

Isolated  hills — Limestone  formation — An  undulating  country — The 
Rio  Somninho  the  source  of  the  Sommo — Excellent  cattle  and 
grand  grazing-’ands — Charming  woods — .-kbsence  of  fevers — 
Espirito  Santo  village — Top-boots  from  a snake-skin— A fine 
specimen  skin — Bicho  de  pv — An  independent  village — .A 
troublesome  road — Boa  Esperan^a — A sertaodjos  farm — An 
enterprising  Brazilian — A night  with  baratas  or  cockroaches — 

.A  Brazilian  pioneer — Dangers  of  river  bathing — .A  tiresome  ford 
— A stormy  night  under  canvas — Bob  escapes  drowning — Hard 
work  in  crossing  a stream — .A  rocky  country — Vestiges  of  the 
old  plateau — A rough  bit  of  road — An  adventure  with  a rattle- 
snake, and  another  with  a huge  stag — A party  of  travellers — 

The  good-natured  Geralistas  of  Jalaoao — The  barren  gerdcs — 
Arrive  at  Porto  Franco — The  farm  at  Porto  Franco — I become 
wearied  with  my  travels — Dull  times — Cattle-raising  at  Porto 
Franco — A wild  plantation — Good  treatment  of  slaves — Climate 
— Costliness  of  salt — Indians  and  missionaries — A raft  is  con- 
structed— Good-bye  to  my  follow  ers — The  crew  of  the  raft  . 169 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FROM  PORTO  FRANCO  DOWN  THE  RIO  DO  SO.MNO  TO  THE 
TOCANTINS. 

.Adeosito  Porto  Franco — On  the  Rio  do  Somno — Our  first  pancada 
— Camp  ashore— Indian  cookery  — .A  perilous  prospect — .A 


Contents. 


PAGE 


viii 


gusty  evening — A jaguar’s  roar — Morning  on  the  river — The 
banks  of  the  Somno — Curious  bees’-nest — Birds  and  animals  of 
the  river-side — Pancadas-  -Feroz.  and  his  swimming  powers — 

A wild  cat  shot — Cooking  under  difficulties — A rough  night — 

Bad  prospects — Approach  to  the  rapids — Shooting  the  r.ipids  of 
‘‘ O Funil” — Imprisoned  in  the  valley  of  the  river — Grand 
scenery — Borne  onwards  in  a rush  of  waters — A sudden  and 
terrible  spectacle — In  the  vortex  of  the  Apertada  Hora— A few- 
breathless  moments — On  the  rocks — A w-ild  struggle — A narrow- 
escape — Disappearance  of  the  r.ver — An  unexpected  outlet — 
Splendid  behaviour  of  the  crew — Loss  and  damage — A solitude 
— An  in  ersecting  mountain  range — An  uncomfortable  night — 
Signs  of  diamonds — Peccaries  again — A cautious  advance  in 
the  woods — Sent  up  a tree — Skirmishing — Pork  for  dinner — 
Patience,  and  obedience  of  Feroz — The  wild  banana — Monkeys 
— Life  on  the  Somno — Bob’s  damp  bed — A hot  day — A squalid 
farm — The  Rio  Perdido — The  shores  filled  with  animal  life — 

The  lower  Somno — Reach  the  Tocantins  . . . . .192 

CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM  PEDRO  AFF^NSO  TO  CAROLINA  DOWN  THE  RIO  TOCANTINS. 

-Arrival  at  Pedro  Affonso — An  indifferent  host — Too  late  for  the  last 
“bote” — The  botes  and  traders  of  the  Rio  Tocantins — An  old 
Indian  settlement — Indian  boys — The  Montaria  The  new 
crew — Frae  Rafael  and  his  mission — The  Coroado  Indians — 

The  country  around  the  village — A tender  craft — My  tent  is 
sacrificed — Adeos,  Pedro  .Affonso — Cramped  accommodation — 
Paddles  of  the  Tocantins  7).  .Sao  Francisco — The  shores  of  the 
Tocantins — A murderous  rascal  and  his  home — Persecution  of 
the  Indians  and  unpunished  crimes  of  the  interior  of  Brazil — 
Well-watered  lands — Bico  de  Toucano  and  his  resources — On 
the  river  Tocantins — .A  woeful  loss — Uselessness  of  the  in- 
habitants— Arrival  at  Carolina — .Advised  to  abandon  the 
voyage  to  Para — The  city  and  its  inhabitants — Disappointment 
in  obtaining  a troop  for  the  journey  overland — Scarcity  of  g.uiie 
— .A  hilly  neighbourhood — Gold  and  copper  districts — A churcli 
festival — A negro  festival 214 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

FROM  CAROLINA  TO  CHAPADA. 

Departure  from  Carolina — Poor  means  of  land  travelling  in  North 
Brazil — Chasing  cattle— -A  compliim-ntary  escort — .A  merry 
camp— A hilly,  elevated  country — Picturesque  hills — Ange- 
lin o — An  industrious  negro — Castle  Hill — A curious  formation 


Contents. 


IX 


— My  fellow-traveller — A thinly-inhabited  country — Rough 

tracks — In  the  woods  in  the  darkness — A scramble  in  the  dark 
— Joao  Nogueiro— A copper  region — Our  wretched  pack- 
horses-  Dewy  nights  in  camp — A march  on  foot — Scarcity  of 
game — A charming  camp — A strange  tree — The  Serra  da 
Cinia  an  important  range — A mountain  path — A rattlesnake  — 
Misery  of  travelling  with  poor  animals — A tiring  tramp — A 
palm  forest — Morro  do  Trade— Timidity  of  countrywomen — 

A welcome  rest — An  untidy  farm — Good  news:  a fresh  horse 
— Flat  plains  and  deep  valleys — In  a butcher’s  shop  for  the 
night — Copper  indications — Trezedellas — Arrive  at  Chapada  . 237 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FROM  CHAPADA,  DOWN  THE  RIO  GRAJAHU,  TO  VICTORIA  ON  THE 
RIO  MEARIM. 

A pleasant  family — Chapada  children — A rich  copper  region — The 
sessions  at  Chapada — Trade — A white  Indian — We  charter  an 
igaritc — A grand  departure  from  Capada  — Our  new  craft  and 
its  crew— The  river  Grajahu  and  its  beauties — A camp  by  the 
forest — Howling  monkeys — A quiet  solitude — Mosquitos  again 
—Animal  life  of  the  river-side — A mountain  of  whetstones — A 
hill  of  satin  spar — A foul  place — A night  voyage — Snags — Buried 
alive — A night  of  torment — Botes  of  the  river — In  the  forest — 
Ferocious  fish  ; the  piranhas  — A.  race— A tortuous  river — 
Morro  do  Oratorio — Fishing — Vegetation  of  the  shores — Gam- 
mella  Indians — First  habitations  since  leaving  Chapada  — 
Hidden  beauties — Pium  sand-flies  — Snags  — An  Indian 

anecdote — An  exchange  of  compliments — The  effect  of  a 
revolver — A morning  mist — Torments  of  sand-flies — A day’s 
journey  to  gain  600  yards — A useful  parasite — An  evening  scene 
— A collision  with  a snag — Boarded  by  fire-ants — Amidst  the 
bush  in  the  darkness — A perfect  inferno — Continual  torments — 
The  Director  of  Indians — Valuable  natural  productions  of  the 
forest — Indian  village — Sobradinho  and  its  tenants — A landslip 
— Itambeira  Indians — Fever  appears — A grand  forest — Brown 
river-water — Untiring  paddlers— An  alligator  and  the  Piranhas 
— A Penelope — A lost  dinner — A dense  bush — An  Indian 
alarm — A noisy  night  with  frogs — Dangers  of  a sleep  on 
a sand-bank  — Mournful  tokens  — The  deadly  climate  of 
the  river  in  certain  seasons — More  copper  indications — 

A grand  copper  region  — Ingativas— A diver  bird  — A 
farm  abandoned  through  mosquitos — A long  day’s  work — A 
weary  night — Inhabited  lands — Brilliant  distinctness  of  tropical 


X 


Contents. 


i'Ar;K 


scenery — An  industrious  couple — A capoeira  dc  pahnerias—.\ 
haunted  lake — The  submerged  lands  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Grajahu — A steaming-hot  locality — On  the  Rio  Mearim — No 
land  to  camp  on — A slow  and  fatiguing  journey — Arrive  at 
Victoria — Rough  quarters 259 


CHAPTER  XV. 

FROM  VICTORIA  TO  M A RANH  AO. 

S.  Antonio’s  day  at  Victoria — The  town  and  its  Padre — Good-bye 
to  my  companion — On  to  Arary — A bustling  port — An 
influential  trader— Portuguese  hospitality — Passage  booked 
to  Maranhao — An  evening  thunder-storm — An  unusual  scene — 

A return  from  the  wilderness — A gossip  with  a frank  young 
lady — A marshy  country — A considerable  proprietor — The 
navigation  of  the  lower  river  and  its  trade — A crowded  craft — 
Kindness  of  mine  host — Rough  accommodation — A dreary 
scene — A tidal  wave — A river  steamer — In  the  bay  of  Sao 
Marcos — Land  at  Maranhao — A return  to  civilization — 
Difficuhies  in  leaving  the  port— A helpless  countryman  and  a 
kind  and  useful  Brazilian  official — On  board  the  Bahia — An 
attack  of  fever  at  sea — Bob’s  disgust  and  departure  to  his  home 
— Adieu  to  poor  Feroz — Lost,  stolen,  or  strayed  . . .297 


Appendix  A. — Survey  of  the  Rios  Paraopeba  and  Upper 
Rio  Sao  Fran  cisco 31 1 

Appendix  B.— Exploration  of  the  Tocantins— S.to  Fran- 
cisco Watershed;  from  Carinhanha  to  the  Valley 


OF  THE  PARANAN 313 

Appendix  C. — Climate 316 

Appendix  1).— Gold  and  Diamond  Minino  . . . .325 

Appendix  E.— Railways 332 

Appendix  F. — Central  Sugar  Factories.  ....  344 


Appendix  G.— The  Pa.st,  Present,  and  Future  of  Brazil  . 347 
Appendix  11.— The  Pi'ivsical  Geography  of  Brazil 


• 359 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  MAPS. 


PACE 

The  cave-church,  village,  and  rock  of  Sao  Bom  Jezus  da  Lapa 

Frontispiece 

An  evening  thunder-storm i 

A matutor  on  a chilly  morning i8 

The  North  Square,  city  of  Carinhanha 26 

Sailing  down  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco 30 

In  the  lagoons  of  the  Rio  Grande 58 

Sunset  on  the  Rio  Grande 65 

Marsh  birds : the  Jabiru-moleque  stork,  the  Quem-quem,  and  the 

Ja?ana 73 

The  wooded  valley  of  the  Rio  Preto,  near  Formosa  . . . .89 

Buritirana  and  Burity  palms  and  the  Rio  Preto  at  Santo  Maria  . 1 10 

A peccary  “ at  bay  ” 119 

The  camp  stormed  by  peccaries 134. 

Pig-sticking  in  Goyaz 140 

An  “ indio  manso  ” (a  friendly  Indian) 148 

A night-scene  in  camp  in  the  wilds  of  Goyaz 153 

Sighting  strangers  in  the  wilderness • I55 

A nan'ow  escape  from  drowning 169 

The  Morro  do  Munducuru 180 

Departure  from  Porto  Franco  on  the  Rio  do  Somno  . . . .192 

In  the  rapids  of  the  Apertada  Hora 203 

On  the  Rio  Tocantins 214 

The  city  of  Carolina,  Rio  Tocantins 231 

A midnight  festival  at  Carolina 236 

Crossing  the  arid  table-lands  of  Maranhao 237 

Crossing  the  Serra  da  Cinta 250 

The  pra?a  of  the  town  of  Chapada  .......  257 

Manoel  the  pilot 260 

A.n  Indian 277 

A field  of  sugar-cane  . ■ 2gy 

The  port  of  Arary,  Rio  Mearim 299 


List  of  Illustrations  and  Maps. 


xii 


MAPS  AND  SECTONS. 

I'AGE 

Sketch  map  of  route  from  the  source  of  the  Rio  Sapao  to  the  Rio 
Tocantins,  and  a section  showing  elevations  of  land  . . . 148 

Sketch  map  of  route  from  Carolina  to  Chapada,  and  a section 

showing  elevations  of  land . 237 

Longitudinal  section  of  formation  level  of  railway  in  the  valleys  of 
the  Rio  Paraopcba  and  upper  Rio  Srio  Francisco  . . . • 31 1 

General  map  of  Route  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  Maranhao,  showing 
configuration  of  surface  of  country,  and  a section  showing  eleva- 
tion of  land  traversed. 

A physical  map  of  Brazil. 


THREE  THOUSAND  MILES 
THROUGH  BRAZIL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM  JANUARIA  TO  MANGA  DO  ARMADOR. 

Our  united  troops — A pleasant  ride  in  the  forest — Fazenda  dc  Mocombo 
— A Brazilian  gentleman — Luxurious  quarters — Produce  in  excess  of 
demand — Cheap  land — Invisible  ladies — British  weather — Evidences 
of  cultivation — A cattle  farm — A fortunate  shelter — Rough  fare — A 
sudden  storm — Limestone  hills — A varied  country — Village  of  Jacard 
— A river  trader — Chaff — We  astonish  the  natives — A detour — A 
trial  to  one’s  patience — Fantastic  forms  of  limestone — A struggle 
amidst  thorns,  brambles,  and  swamps — A vaqueiro’s  house,  grimy 
quarters — A musical  disturbance — A wet  morning,  a wet  day,  and  a 
flooded  country — Hospitality  refused — A refuge — A damp  night’s 
lodging — A good-natured  black — A welcome  to  sunshine  again — 
Manga  do  Armador — Low  type  of  inhabitants,  a riverside  Wapping 
— Effects  of  malaria — Probable  future  improvement  in  climate  of 
River  Valley. 

January  2yd. — This  morning 
our  united  troops  made  a 
goodly  show  as  we  defiled  out 
of  the  city.  Besides  our  three 
selves  we  had  nine  men,  one 
boy,  twenty-seven  mules  and 
horses,  and  three  dogs,  Feroz, 
Caranca,  and  Pequeno. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  town, 
the  road  gradually  leads  away 
from  the  river-side,  passing 
many  habitations  and  long  level 
tracts  of  inundated  land,  the 
openings  in  the  low  scrub  being  the  only  indications  of  the 
VOL.  II. 


B 


2 


Januaria  to  Manga  do  Armador. 

road  ; this  extended  for  eight  or  nine  miles,  when  the  track 
entered  a forest  of  splendid  trees,  where  a fairly  good  and 
broad  waggon-road  offered  us  a pleasant  canter  ahead  of 
the  mule-train. 

Even  the  dogs,  by  their  gambols  and  joyful  barkings,  seemed 
to  appreciate  the  merits  of  a dry  wide  road  in  the  pleasant 
shade. 

The  forest  w'as  singularly  free  from  the  usual  dense 
undergrowth,  and  many  charming  glades  and  openings  between 
the  grand  trees  formed  many  scenes  of  sylvan  beauty.  Con- 
spicuous amongst  the  trees  were  giant  buttressed  gammeleira, 
many  of  them  wreathed  in  ma.ssive  encircling  llianas,  such 
as  the  vionstera  deliciosa,  and  bedecked  w’ith  brilliant  flow'er- 
ing  crimson  bromelias.  Delicate  tree  and  other  ferns,  and 
gnariroba  and  jeribd  palms  softened  with  their  feathery 
foliage  the  dark  outline  of  the  massive  trunks.  Cipos  or 
creepers  hung  in  long  pendent  lines  like  the  cordage  of  a 
ship,  or  formed  graceful  curves  from  tree  to  tree ; numerous 
orchids,  parasites,  mosses,  and  lichens  decorated  the  trunks 
and  branches,  to  such  an  extent  that  almost  every  tree  was 
a garden  in  itself. 

At  the  end  of  twenty  miles,  the  even  ground  of  the  forest 
changed  to  rolling  hills  of  a more  upland  country  that  had 
been  cleared  of  its  primitive  forest  and  turned  into  pasture- 
land. 

We  soon  afterwards  arriv’ed  at  a substantial,  two-storied 
fazenda,  the  Fazenda  de  Mocombo.'  Along  its  wide  front, 
extended  on  the  first  floor,  a pleasantly  shaded  verandah 
where  an  old  gentleman  in  a dressing-gown  was  .seated  in  a 
rocking-chair  ; and  on  our  requesting  permission  to  speak 
with  the  proprietor,  he  replied,  ''Son  sen  criado"  (I  am  your 
servant),  and  further  desired  us  to  dismount  and  enter..  We 
presented  our  cards  and  briefly  explained  our  nationality  and 

' This  place  is  indicated  on  maps  as  a villaj;e  or  small  town.  Not  at 
all  an  uncommon  mistake  is  it  to  thus  misrepresent  the  most  impori.ant 
estates  as  villages.  Mocombo,  like  (^uilombo,  is  a retreat  of  fugitive  slaves. 


Luxurious  Quarters. 


o 


purposes,  and  that  our  large  troop  would  shortly  arrive.  The 
old  gentleman  courteously  apologized  for  not  rising  from  his 
chair,  sa}’ing,  “ So?/  in/iito  ve//to  e doente"  (I  am  very  old  and 
ill) ; but,  with  a kindly  smile,  he  expressed  his  pleasure  to 
receive  us,  and  all  the  poor  accommodation  of  his  house  was 
at  our  disposition,  clapped  his  hands,  and  directed  his  negros 
to  take  the  animals  and  prepare  for  the  rest  of  the  troop. 

Our  worthy  host  was  a Senhor  Marcellino — I regret  I have 
forgotten  the  rest  of  his  name — a well-educated  gentleman 
and  representative  of  the  cla.ss  of  educated  Brazilian  planters. 
I shall  long  remember  and  be  grateful,  not  only  for  the 
personal  comforts  bestowed  upon  us,  but  for  the  genial 
courtesy  and  kindliness  expressed  by  this  kind  old  gentleman 
in  every  word  and  deed.  That  night  we  revelled  in  the 
almost  forgotten  luxuries  of  a well-appointed  bedroom  and 
a civilized  table : to  meet  such  a place  as  this  in  these  back- 
woods  is  like  finding  a jewel  in  a dust-heap. 

The  verandah  overlooked  a prettily  arranged  flower  and 
fruit  garden  in  the  front  of  the  house,  where  we  found  many 
an  European  garden  flower  growing  in  great  luxuriance. 
Beyond  the  garden,  the  ground  stretched  far  away  in  great 
rolling  grassy  downs,  dotted  with  many  herds  of  browsing 
cattle  ; the  tall  straight  trunks  of  a neighbouring  forest  and 
the  blue  outline  of  distant  highlands  completed  the  picture  ; 
by  the  side  of  the  fazenda  a clear  stream  of  water  murmured 
a monotone  as  it  flowed  amongst  the  stones  of  a pebbly 
bed,  and  created  the  pleasant  music  of  the  splash  of  the 
falling  water  of  an  adjoining  water-wheel.  In  our  pleasant 
circumstances,  with  what  an  appreciative  mind  a traveller 
can  enjoy  the  peaceful  surroundings  of  such  a scene  in  the 
quiet  of  the  evening,  when  the  lights  of  the  western  sky 
assume  the  pearly  greys  and  delicate  azure  tints  of  the  short 
twilight  of  these  regions,  and  the  first  chill  mists  of  night 
appear  in  filmy  clouds  like  snow-white  wool. 

Our  host  unfortunately  had  to  retire  early,  but  before 
doing  so  he  told  us  in  conversation  that  his  family  had  occu- 


B 2 


4 


Januaria  to  Manga  do  Armador. 

pied  lands  in  and  around  Januaria  for  many  generations,  and 
had  been  planters  in  the  good  old  mining  and  colonial  times, 
when  agricultural  produce  was  scarce  and  very  valuable  and 
slaves  were  cheap  ; now,  he  says,  we  are  all  planters  or  traders, 
and  produce  more  than  we  can  profitably  dispose  of ; he 
further  told  us  that  he  owned  an  adjoining  estate  of  rich 
forest  and  pasture-land  with  a good  house,  fences,  and  farm 
buildings  on  it  ; the  area  was  very  considerable — in  fact,  he 
hardly  knew  its  extent ; for  this  he  said  he  would  accept  200/., 
for  there  were  many  more  sellers  of  land  than  buyers. 

I know  we  all  saw  with  regret  the  sun  rise  the  next  morn- 
ing and  necessitate  our  departure  from  the  most  comfortable 
quarters  we  had  met  with  since  leaving  Tabolciro  Grande. 
There  were  some  female  occupants  of  the  fazenda,  for  we 
heard  their  voices,  but  they  were  as  removed  from  sight  as  if 
they  were  the  inmates  of  an  Eastern  harem. 

As  usual  in  many  of  the  better  order  of  fazendas  in  the 
country,  we  were  only  permitted  to  pay  for  the  corn  the 
animals  had  consumed,  but  I knew  that  some  of  the  blacks 
would  have  a merry  time  after  we  had  left ; for  it  is  rarely 
that  these  poor  slaves  in  these  country  aigenhos  can  obtain 
a few  luxuries  to  soften  their  dreary  lives.  Unfortunately  we 
were  not  enabled  to  get  away  so  early  as  anticipated,  for  a 
sudden  and  violent  downpour  of  rain  prevented  the  loading 
of  the  mules  for  some  hour.-',  as  it  is  always  advisable  in 
travelling  not  only  to  “ keep  your  powder  dry,”  but  your 
baggage  also. 

Late  in  the  morning,  however,  the  united  troop  formed 
the  order  of  march,  and  away  we  once  more  jog,  jogged, 
splashing  through  the  muddy  road  and  turbulent  little 
streams ; a drizzle  still  was  falling,  the  sky  was  overcast 
with  masses  of  piled  up  leaden-coloured  clouds,  and  the 
vegetation  dripped  with  moisture  from  every  leaf  as  we 
again  entered  the  sombre  .shade  of  forest. 

A rainy  day  in  Brazil  seems  to  have  much  more  depressing 
effects  than  even  to  a tourist  in  an  out-of-the-way  village,  say 


British  Wkathkr. 


5 


ill  the  west  of  Ireland,  for  in  these  tropical  countries  one  gets 
so  accustomed  to  the  glare  and  brightness  of  the  sunshine, 
the  brilliant  skies,  and  foliage  glistening  in  the  fierce  light, 
that  whenever  a day  of  the  drizzling  British  climate  occurs, 
down  goes  the  thermometer,  up  goes  one’s  liver,  everything 
becomes  damp,  and  chilly,  and  muddy,  and  every  one  looks 
pinched,  cold,  and  disagreeable. 

Here  in  the  forest,  as  we  ride  along  splashing  in  the  mud> 
carefully  drawing  mackintoshes  over  every  corner  of  our 
limbs,  for  the  wet  leaves  of  branches  occasionally  sweep  our 
faces,  and  ornament  our  noses  with  drops  of  crystal  water ; 
detached  clouds  of  mist  glide  like  phantoms  through  the  trees, 
and  the  drip,  drip,  drip  of  water  is  heard  everywhere ; then 
sometimes  a mule,  without  apparent  reason,  would  stampede 
off  into  the  adjoining  bush,  jam  and  crush  the  baggage  against 
the  trees,  the  noise  creates  other  stampedes  and  confusion  of 
all  the  troop ; all  our  careful  arrangement  of  mackintoshes 
arc  no  longer  regarded  as  each  of  us  struggles  amongst  the 
wet  bushes  to  catch  the  recalcitrant  mules,  and  reform  the 
troop  ; of  course,  on  such  occasions  it  always  rains  harder, 
so  on  we  go,  wet,  chilly  and  muddy,  to  an  unknown  camp. 

In  this  forest- land,  we  passed  in  the  lowlands  many 
clearings  of  exhausted  or  existing  cultivated  plots  of  maize, 
beans,  tobacco,  cotton,  castor-tree,  and  mandioca  ; the  soil  is 
exceedingly  rich  and  well  watered,  and  the  country  is 
admitted  to  be  very  salubrious,  yet  land  can  be  obtained  here 
in  comparatively  almost  any  quantity  and  quality,  forest, 
grass,  or  scrub,  for  a mere  bagatelle. 

In  the  afternoon  we  emerged  from  the  almost  continual 
forest  on  to  undulating  hilly  ground,  grass-clad  hills,  and 
wooded,  watered  valleys,  combining  all  the  elements  required 
for  cattle-raising  or  agriculture  in  admirable  combination. 
At  about  3 p.m.,  after  travelling  about  eighteen  miles,  we 
arrived  at  the  currals  and  adobe  houses  of  a fazenda  nestling 
in  the  shade  of  great  gammeleira  trees  and  paddocks  of 
fruit-trees  : oranges,  bananas,  papau\  ginipapos,  jaboiicabaSy 


6 


Januaria  to  ]\Ianga  do  Armador. 

&c.  The  sky  had  cleared,  and  the  sun’s  rays  brightened  up 
the  scene,  the  place  looked  homely  and  prosperous,  akhough 
to  an  English  farmer’s  eyes  it  would  have  appeared  very 
untidy. 

On  riding  up  to  the  door  of  the  residence,  a general 
stampede  of  all  the  female  occupants  took  place  ; doors  and 
window  shutters  were  hurriedly  closed  and  fastened  as  we 
approached.  Some  blacks  engaged  in  yoking  oxen  to  a 
bullock-cart  informed  us  that  the  “senhor  ” was  not  at  home, 
that  his  name  was  Marcellino  de  Sa,  a breeder  of  cattle  and 
manufacturer  of  rapadura  (bricks  of  sugar),  and  that  a short 
distance  beyond  was  an  empty  house  that  we  might  occupy 
for  the  night. 

Continuing  our  journey  over  more  hills  of  grass  and 
scrub,  and  streamlets  and  woods  in  the  bottoms,  we  even- 
tually crossed  a stream  lOO  feet  wide,  flowing  over  a flat 
rocky  bed,  with  banks  of  gravel,  and  ascended  the  rise  of  a 
hill  on  the  opposite  side,  and  there  found  our  new  quarters, 
quite  a new  large  house  with  a tiled  roof,  adobe  walls, 
shuttered  windows,  and  the  door  standing  invitingly  open  ; 
truly  we  had  no  reason  to  regret  Senhor  Marcellino’s  absence, 
such  quarters  as  these  were  to  be  duly  appreciated  in  such 
weather  as  we  might  expect  at  night. 

It  was  a lively  and  bustling  scene,  as  mule  after  mule 
arrived  and  the  process  of  unloading  and  carrying  the 
baggage  into  the  house  went  on  ; then  man  and  horse 
stretched  their  stiffened  limbs.  Each  of  the  mules  as  soon 
as  relieved  of  its  burdens,  after  a good  sniff  and  examination 
of  the  ground,  walks  round  the  selected  spot  once,  and  then 
slowly  goes  down  on  its  knees,  and  turns  over  on  its  back  for 
a good  roll  in  the  sand. 

Whilst  the  dinner  was  in  proce.ss  of  preparation,  my  two 
companions  and  I adjourned  to  the  stream  at  the  bottom 
of  the  hill  for  a plunge  and  a swim  in  the  pellucid  water. 
The  jM-eparations  for  dinner  were  not  made  by  a cook  in  a 
white  blouse  and  cap,  in  a modern  kitchen,  but  by  black  and 


A Squall. 


/ 


nnicldy  Bob ; in  a pail  of  water,  beans,  dry  beef,  and  salt  pork 
were  indiscriminately  soaked,  and  a little  of  the  accompanying 
dirt  extracted  before  being  put  in  the  saucepan  or  on  the 
fire.  The  house  was  admirably  situated,  and  commanded 
extensive  views  of  well-diversified  scenery  all  around  ; at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  was  the  stream  of  clear  water,  clear  even 
then  in  the  rainy  weather  ; beyond  it  in  all  directions  appeared 
rolling  hills,  some  clad  with  fine  forests,  others  with  grass  or 
with  low  scrub  between  thickets  of  trees  and  groups  of  palms. 
Away  to  the  west  about  ten  or  twelve  miles,  appeared  the 
dark  outline  of  an  irregular  range  of  elevated  hills,  forming 
probably  the  bluffs  of  the  Western  Sao  Franciscan  table- 
land. 

As  the  sun  set  dark  banks  of  clouds  gathered  over  these 
heights,  shadowing  their  blue  outlines  to  dark  purples  and 
greys  ; as  the  clouds  advanced  the  shadows  extended  over 
hill  and  dale,  then  slanting  lines  of  pale  grey  appeared  be- 
tween clouds  and  hills,  thunder  crashed,  and  jagged  lines  of 
vivid  light  flashed,  slight  puffs  of  wind  were  occasionally 
felt,  a distant  hoarse  murmur  was  heard,  the  clouds  rapidly 
extended,  enveloping  earth  and  sky  in  a pall  of  grey  mist, 
more  and  more  puffs  of  wind,  a few  heavy  drops  of  warm 
rain  fell,  then  the  leaves  whirled  in  the  air,  palms  and  trees 
bowed,  and  with  a hoarse  cry  the  storm  of  wind  and  rain, 
and  crashing  thunder  and  vivid  lightning  was  upon  us. 
Thankful  we  were  as  we  sat  in  the  semi-darkness  with  door 
and  window  closed  to  have  such  a sanctuary.  How  the  wind 
howled  around,  and  the  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  illumined  the 
interior  of  the  room,  followed  by  terrific  salvoes  of  heaven’s 
artillery ! Soon,  the  thunder  became  fainter  and  more  dis- 
tant, and  the  rain  and  wind  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  com- 
menced. On  opening  the  door,  behold  a starry  night  and 
streamlets  of  water  coursing  madly  down  the  hill ; the  thunder 
muttered  in  the  distance,  as  the  clouds  and  mist  disappeared 
to  the  east,  and  the  tropical  squall  was  over. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  crash  of  the  storm  had  ceased 


8 Januaria  to  Manga  do  Armador. 

before  the  house  echoed  to  the  measured  notes  of  its  sleeping 
tenants. 

January  25. — It  was  a welcome  sound  that  awoke  us  with 
the  first  glimmer  of  daylight,  the  steady  crunch  of  the  mules 
enjoying  their  feed  of  corn.  It  is  always  a relief  to  find  on 
awakening  that  no  animals  are  missing. 

Once  more  jog,  jog,  on  the  road  to  the  north.  It  was 
twelve  miles  to  J acare,^  a small  village  situated  on  the  banks  of 
the  river.  We  passed  through  a rough  and  varied  district, 
forest  and  second-growth  being  the  main  features  of  the 
vegetation ; on  the  way  were  many  strange  and  weird  hills 
of  limestone  rock,  worn  and  chased  by  ages  into  towers  and 
pinnacles  and  other  fantastic  forms,  the  interstices  being 
filled  with  a variety  of  a huge  blue  cactus,  and  by  other  vege- 
tation too  numerous  to  specify.  The  road  was  alternately 
rugged  from  rocks  and  roots  of  trees,  slippery  from  the 
rain,  and  soft  and  swampy  in  the  hollows ; we  passed 
not  more  than  a half-dozen  roadside  habitations  on  the 
way. 

The  arraial  or  hamlet  of  Jacar^  consists  simply  of  one 
street  of  scattered  houses  and  huts  facing  the  river,  and  con- 
tains about  300  souls  ; almost  every  habitation  has  its  own 
compound  in  which  grow  many  of  the  fruit  and  other  trees 
common  to  the  district.  A wide  straggling  road  largely 
overgrown  with  grass,  forms  the  main  thoroughfare ; a few 
large  trees  grow  on  the  riv'er-banks,  under  the  shade  of  which 
arc  discussed  local  politics  and  the  crops,  and  form  collec- 
tively the  village  ale-house  and  c.xchangc  mart  for  the 
transaction  of  business  with  the  river- traders.  A tumble- 
down old  barn  of  a church  is  of  course  the  indispensable 
adjunct  to  the  village. 

On  riding  up  to  the  door  of  the  most  comfortable-looking 
house,  the  owner  invited  us  to  enter  and  partake  of  the 
inevitable  coffee  ; then  ensued  the  usual  questions  as  to  our 
business,  ages,  salaries,  &c.  In  the  meantime  all  the  village 

^ Allif,Mtor. 


Village  of  JacarP:.  q 

gossips  crowd  round  the  door,  the  usual  gaping,  listless,  idle 
group. 

We  heard  that  we  should  find  ahead  many  habitations  by 
the  riverside,  but  that  the  road  skirting  the  river  was  flooded, 
and  it  would  be  advisable  to  take  a guide  to  show  us  through 
the  woods  around  the  hills  of  Itacaramby,  a little  further  on. 
A halt  was  necessary  to  rest  the  animals  and  to  shoe  many 
of  them  after  the  rough  ride  of  the  morning. 

A stroll  through  the  village  showed  us  the  usual  life  of 
these  riverside  hamlets.  A trader’s  barca  was  at  the  muddy 
praia  surrounded  by  a number  of  brown  and  black  women, 
chaffering  with  the  pedlar  for  a cotton  dress,  needles,  ribbons, 
flaming  red  or  blue  shawls,  &c. ; at  the  moment  he  was  show- 
ing them,  to  their  intense  delight,  a straw  hat,  trimmed  with 
the  brightest  of  ribbons  and  imitation  flowers  ; they  could  not 
find  the  wherewithal  to  purchase  it,  and  the  hat  was  restored 
to  its  box,  amidst  the  sighs  and  regrets  of  the  women.  “ Ai  ! 
Sta.  Maria  ! Que  chapeo  bonito  ! Quc  coisa  Hilda  ! A i di 
viim,  isto  nOo  c para  pobrcs  coino  nos."  (Ah  ! Holy  I\Iary  ! 
What  a lovely  hat ! What  a pretty  thing  ! But,  dear  me, 
this  is  not  for  poor  people  like  us.) 

Hard  by,  under  the  shade  of  trees,  another  group  of  men 
were  tinkling  guitars,  and  shouting  their  impromptu  songs, 
that  we  found  were  descriptive  of  the  arrival  of  the  inglczes 
(ourselves),  their  white  skin,  the  great  troop,  the  fat  mules, 
our  land  far  away  where  lived  all  the  rich  people  and  no  poor 
ones,  &c.,  &c.,  concluding  each  refrain  with  “Olhe!  as  mochas 
estao  olhando  ” (Look  ! the  girls  are  watching  you).  The 
latter  observation  created  a giggle  amongst  the  dark  Jiouris  of 
the  barca,  between  whom  and  the  songster  ensued  a mild 
form  of  banter. 

A countryman  with  a horseload  of  beans  and  salted  suru- 
bim  was  going  from  house  to  house  to  find  a purchaser,  a few 
cattle  and  pigs  were  browsing  on  the  bush  by  the  river-banks, 
a few  loungers  at  the  doorways,  and  half-clad  women  leaning 
in  the  windows,  or  working  the  old  pillow  lace,  and  the 


lo  Januaria  to  Manga  do  Armador. 

sounds  of  the  shrill  piping  chant  of  the  village  school, 
completed  the  rest  of  the  life  of  the  village,  as  it  appeared  to  us. 

In  front  of  the  village  extended  the  broad  and  turbid 
waters  of  the  flooded  river,  bearing  many  a snag  on  its  flow- 
ing surface,  and  excepting  the  barca  at  the  praia,  no  other 
craft  was  visible,  either  up  or  down  the  grand  mass  of  water. 

During  our  perambulations  we  had  been  accompanied  by 
all  the  Dioleques  ^ of  the  village,  who  listened  with  astonished 
eyes  and  open  mouth  to  our  conversation  with  each  other  in 
English.  I do  not  think  a single  object  of  our  costume 
escaped  their  observation  and  remarks;  they  darted  ahead  and 
about  us,  like  village  boys  at  home  around  an  arriving  circus 
caravan. 

Taking  a guide  with  us,  at  2 p.m.  we  filed  out  of  the 
village  into  lower  ground,  inundated  from  the  high  water  of 
the  river ; the  flood  extended  for  a long  way  inland,  the  bush 
and  trees  of  the  banks  alone  indicating  their  margins  ; 
for  two  miles  we  splashed  through  this  pea-soup-looking 
water,  when  our  guide  led  us  off  to  the  left,  on  to  higher 
ground,  and  entered  apparently  a pathless  forest ; as  he  went 
on  hacking  with  his  facdo*  a way  through  bush  and  briar, 
and  we  saw  our  long  troop  of  mules  with  their  projecting 
packs,  and  in  front  the  pathless  matted  bramble,  it  certainly 
did  appear  puzzling  how  we  were  to  get  on.  Upon  asking 
our  guide  what  v/as  his  object  in  plunging  into  this  maze,  he 
informed  us  that  an  elevated  mass  of  rock  we  had  perceived 
in  front  of  us,  and  known  as  the  Morro  dc  Itacarambi,  ex- 
tended to  the  river’s  banks,  and  the  road  at  its  foot  is  only 
passable  when  the  river  is  not  flooded,  and  that  somewhere 
in  the  forest  there  was  a path  that  passed  to  the  rear  of  these 
hills.  A few  of  the  men  were  called  up  with  billhook  and 
knife,  to  assist  the  guide  to  clear  the  way.  Slowly  we  forged 
ahead,  the  ground  in  many  places  being  treacherously  soft 
and  boggy,  in  which  the  animals  sank,  and  were  with  diffi- 
culty extracted  ; the  trailing  vines  and  thorny  bramble  tore 
Coloured  boys.  ^ ■*  Large  wood-knife. 


Curious  Limestone  Formation.  i i 

our  clothes  and  faces,  the  animals  got  squeezed  in  between 
trees,  or  crushed  against  trunks  of  trees,  and  immediately  a 
mule  meets  an  obstacle  to  his  progress  he  is  at  once  seized 
with  a frantic  desire  to  go  ahead  with  all  his  force  ; result, 
something  gives  way  and  down  come  the  packs,  and  away 
goes  the  mule  into  the  midst  of  bramble  and  briar  ; add  to 
it  all,  a hot  steamy  fetid  atmosphere,  like  that  of  a hot- 
house, foul  exhalations  from  the  swampy  soil,  and  myriads 
cf  mosquitos.  Verily  it  was  a good  trial  to  one’s  patience 
and  philosophy. 

After  an  hour  of  vexatious  and  laborious  work  we  came 
alongside  the  precipitous  walls  of  the  Morro,  towering  above 
the  woods  in  pinnacled  and  otherwise  fantastic  forms  of  lime- 
stone rock,  worn  by  the  weather  of  ages  into  strange  and 
weird  shapes  like  the  ruins  of  old  castles  ; immense  candelabra 
cactii  in  the  hollows  of  the  rock  added  their  strange  forms 
to  the  hobgoblin  appearance  of  the  place. 

It  was  a queer  scene  to  see  us  struggling  and  working  our 
way  in  the  close  pestiferous  heat,  amongst  the  trees  and  vines 
of  that  grim  solitude;  but  time  and  patience  effect  wonders, 
for  in  another  hour  we  found  the  long-sought-for  trail,  but 
hardly  better  than  the  pathless  jungle  we  had  passed,  for  it 
was  thickly  obstructed  by  roots,  quagmires,  trunks  of  trees, 
creepers,  and  bramble  ; however,  it  afforded  us  an  indication 
that  we  were  in  the  right  direction,  as  the  prospect  of  passing 
a night  in  such  a locality  would  have  been  anything  but 
pleasant.  Four  miles  only,  we  afterwards  were  told,  was 
the  estimated  distance  through  that  tangled  maze. 

This  Morro  de  Itacarambi  is  a strange  feature  of  the 
country  ; it  is  an  elongated  mass  of  limestone  rising  abruptly 
from  a plain,  for  we  had  travelled  around  it  inland  from  river- 
bank  to  river-bank,  and  all  the  way  found  the  ground  around 
it  practically  flat  and  swampy.  It  stands  there  a solitary 
remnant  of  the  land  that  once  filled  the  v^alley  of  the  river,  a 
grim  vestige  of  bygone  ages.  The  limestone  hills  on  the  road 
to  Jacare  are  precisely  of  a similar  formation. 


12  Januaria  to  Manga  do  Armador. 

As  the  sun  became  low  in  the  west  we  emerged  once  more 
into  daylight  and  open  space  ; before  us  stretched  a broad 
expanse  of  swamp,  bounded  on  the  east  by  a belt  of  forest 
that  excluded  a view  of  the  river,  and  on  the  west  by  rising 
ground  covered  with  cerrado  scrub. 

Learning  that  a cattle  farm  was  at  the  further  side  of  the 
swamp,  about  two  miles  distant,  we  pushed  on  our  panting 
weary  animals,  splashing  through  the  flooded  land,  and  often 
floundering  in  the  many  quagmires  ; finally  we  reached  the 
Sitio  de  Itacarambi,  the  outlying  station  of  a cattle  fazenda, 
and  residence  of  a cow-herd  {vaqiiciro).  It  consisted  merely 
of  an  open  shed  with  a corner  partitioned  off  by  mud  walls  ; 
at  the  rear  was  the  cattle  curral,  knee-deep  in  black  fetid 
mud  that  extended  to  the  floor  of  the  open  shed.  All  around 
outside  the  ground  was  marshy,  wet,  and  muddy. 

The  vaqueiro  willingly  consented  to  shelter  us  for  the 
night,  his  roof  and  dry  floor  being  very  acceptable  in  such  a 
sloppy  neighbourhood,  albeit  the  odours  of  the  mud  of  the 
curral  were  not  those  of  Araby  the  bless’d.  That  night  Bob 
had  to  “ hurry  up  ’’with  his  messes,  for  our  long  day’s  ride  of 
twenty-four  miles  had  created  appetites  that  an  alderman 
would  have  envied. 

After  dinner  as  we  enjoyed  the  fragrant  weed,  in  the  dark- 
ness rendered  visible  by  the  dim  smokey  light  of  a solitary 
lamp  of  cotton-wick  placed  in  the  shallow  iron  cup  of 
castor-oil,  and  by  the  flickering  light  of  a log-fire,  we  forgot 
the  fatigues  of  the  day,  and  the  squalor  around  us,  and  one 
and  all  dropped  off  into  dreamland  ; unfortunately  our 
slumbers  were  not  to  last  long,  for  the  house  was  .soon  after 
invaded  by  a number  of  carousing  friends  of  our  host,  who 
noisily  entered  regardless  of  his  sleeping  guests;  songs  and 
dances  were  soon  started,  accompanied  by  a rub-a-dub-dub 
symphony  on  a drum,  constructed  out  of  the  hollow  trunk  of 
a tree,  on  the  e.xtrcmities  of  which  shceii-skins  had  been 
stretched.  Many  and  hearty  were  the  blessings  we  called 
down  upon  the  strangers,  and  the  air  became  blue  w itii  the 
observations  ; finally,  our  host,  noticing  our  restlessness  (it 


A VERITARLE  PlirF.NIX. 


13 


evidently  occurred  to  him  for  the  first  time  that  perhaps  we 
might  not  appreciate  the  concert),  blandly  inquired  if  the 
turmoil  was  inconvenient : the  answer  he  received  immediately 
cleared  away  all  doubts.  When  he  suggested  to  his  friends 
that  the  estraugeiros  (foreigners)  perhaps  might  want  to  sleep, 
the  rough,  but  good  fellows  immediately  desisted,  and  calm 
and  peace  ensued. 

January  26th. — This  morning  there  was  rain,  steadily  pour- 
ing rain  and  drifting  clouds  of  mist  and  drizzle,  that  shrouded 
from  view  all  distant  objects  and  made  the  air  damp  and 
chilly.  The  men  presented  a benumbed  appearance  when 
they  arrived  with  the  mules  from  the  adjoining  pasture,  their 
heads  and  .shoulders  carefully  enveloped  in  their  fionclios, 
but  legs  and  feet  bare,  their  faces  were  blanched  and  blue, 
and  their  teeth  chattered  with  cold.  No,  their  faces  were  not 
exactly  blue,  their  brown  comple.xions  assumed  more  of  a 
drab,  or  dirty  yellow  tinge  ; dripping  with  wet,  they  looked 
like  turkey-buzzards  after  a shower.  They  took  very 
kindly  to  a dram  of  cachara,  tossing  it  off  without  a wink, 
with  a sigh  of  .satisfaction,  and  '‘Ah!  agora  0 bixo 
morreo  ! ” (Ah  ! now  the  bixo  has  died) — that  awful  insect 
that  is  always  being  killed,  but  only  dies  to  again  resuscitate, 
a veritable  Phceni.x  amongst  insects. 

One  by  one  the  animals  were  led  into  the  shed  and  loaded 
under  cover.  Breakfast  over,  and  an  extra  ration  of  rum 
served  out  to  the  men  to  keep  off  the  chills,  away  we  filed 
off  in  the  driving  rain  and  flooded  land. 

Fortunately,  we  obtained  a guide  from  amongst  last  night’s 
visitors,  otheiavise  it  was  very  doubtful  if  we  should  have 
been  able  to  find  our  way  through  the  water  that  covered  the 
land.  All  day  we  splashed  through  the  water,  always  keep- 
ing by  the  river-banks,  then  all  submerged.  It  rained  all  day; 
the  sky  overcast  with  grey  clouds  and  leaden  in  its  hues, 
the  surrounding  country  all  obscured  in  driving  mist  and 
rain,  and  the  chilly,  damp  air,  altogether  formed  anything 
but  a conventional  Brazilian  picture. 

The  adjoining  country  is  low-lying  grass  land,  intersected 


14  Januaria  to  Manga  do  Armador. 

by  bushes  and  occasional  clumps  of  woods.  The  few  poor 
huts  we  passed  were  flooded  and  deserted  ; water,  water 
everywhere,  and  not  a place  to' rest.  In  the  afternoon  the 
weather  became  worse,  violent  gusts  of  wind  swept  by  and 
rain  poured  in  torrents,  accompanied  by  thunder  and  light- 
ning ; several  deep  holes  of  small  streams  had  with  great 
difficulty  been  crossed  ; in  one  case,  the  packs  were  unloaded 
in  the  wet  and  mire,  and  carried  across  on  the  men’s  backs, 
the  animals  swimming  across  ; everything,  man  and  baggage, 
was  thoroughly  soaked,  but  there  was  no  alternative  but  to 
proceed  ; we  might  just  as  well  have  camped  in  a shallow 
lake  as  to  have  stayed  there. 

At  4 p.m.  we  sighted  a vaqneiro's  house  on  dry  ground, 
called  Poco  de  Lavagem,  but  the  owner  being  away,  the 
female  occupants  would  neither  appear  nor  answer  to  our 
summons,  and  remained  silent  and  invisible  behind  the 
closed  doors  and  windows.  After  a consultation  it  was 
decided  to  push  on  again,  as  higher  ground  was  reported  to 
be  had  further  on.  The  pack-mules  were  with  difficulty 
driven  away  from  the  inhospitable  house,  grunting  as  a mule 
will  grunt  when  he  is  disgusted. 

The  rain  still  came  down  in  torrents,  and  the  water  in 
places  became  so  deep  that  the  mules  were  almost  swimming  ; 
we  were  in  despair  when  wc  thought  of  our  clothes,  stores, 
&c.,  and  saw  the  bo.xes  and  trunks  continually  dip  into  the 
water,  blot  a human  being  had  been  met  the  whole  of  the 
long  day. 

P'ortunately,  towards  the  late  afternoon  the  waters  shallowed, 
and  at  last,  in  the  fading  light  of  this  gloomy  day,  dry  ground 
was  reached,  and  better  still,  a house  with  an  open  and  empty 
(large  open  verandah)  in  the  front  of  it.  On  knocking 
at  the  door  it  was  found  to  be  closed  and  fastened,  and  no  one 
replied.  Wc  could  not,  however,  stand  upon  ceremony,  and 
hastily  got  the  baggage  under  cover  of  the  friendly  roof. 

How  wet,  cold  and  hungry  we  all  were!  with  some 
difficulty  wood  was  obtained  from  a thicket  hard  by,  and 


A Damp  Night’s  Lodging. 


15 


there  was  soon  a welcome  fire  burnin",  over  which  Bob  soon 
prepared  some  dampers  of  farinha  {bejoo)  that  stayed  our 
ravenous  hunger  until  the  beans  were  ready  ; from  7 a.m.  to 
7 p.m  is  a long  day’s  ride  through  rain  and  flooded  land  all 
the  way,  without  a halt  for  rest  or  refreshment. 

In  the  evening  the  owner  of  the  house,  a black  man,  and 
his  wife,  a mulatto,  arrived.  We  tendered  our  apologies  for 
our  occupation  of  his  verandah  (then  well  filled-up  with  our- 
selves, men,  saddles,  and  baggage) ; he  good-humouredly  told 
us  to  make  ourselves  at  home,  and  that  his  “ house  was  at  our 
orders.”  As  we  saw  no  more  of  him  that  night,  perhaps  he 
thought  it  just  as  well  not  to  kick  against  the  pricks  ; it  would 
have  required  a good  many  owners  to  have  turned  us  out  into 
that  dark  wet  night.  We  had  to  make  ourselves  as  comfort- 
able as  the  limited  space  afforded  ; we  certainly  had  a sound 
thatch  roof  overhead,  but  from  the  open  front  and  sides  the 
driving  moisture -laden  wind  blew  upon  us  all  night.  Well- 
aired  beds  were  not  de  rigueiir  that  night. 

Although  I have  mentioned  the  chilliness  of  the  air,  I found 
the  thermometer  registered  70°  (F.)  in  the  day,  and  65°  (F.)  in 
the  evening.  It  is  really  not  the  temperature  that  makes  one 
feel  cold  ; it  is  the  excessive  and  penetrating  dampness  of  the 
air,  that  seems  to  have  a peculiar  affinity  to  one’s  bones. 

That  night,  after  the  mules  had  had  a feed  of  corn,  they 
were  turned  loose  in  the  darkness  to  find  a pasture  for  them- 
selves, and  early  in  the  morning  every  one  appeared  in  camp, 
waiting  for  another  ration  of  maize,  evidently  having  fared  but 
poorly  in  the  night  ; but  corn,  it  is  well  known,  constitutes  the 
sum-total  of  a mule’s  earthly  happiness. 

On  our  host  informing  us  that  the  Arraial  da  Manga  do 
Amador  was  only  four  miles  distant,  we  made  an  early  break- 
fastless departure,  in  order  to  reach  that  place  and  rest  the 
mules  for  the  day,  and  dry  our  sopping  effects. 

A clear  bright  morning  followed  the  wet  of  the  previous 
day ; how  welcome  was  the  sun  again  after  such  a day  ! and 
as  we  cantered  along  ahead  of  the  mule-train  we  felt  inclined 


1 6 Januaria  to  Manga  do  Armador. 

to  shout,  like  Massaniello,  “ Hail ! smiling  morn,”  for  verily 
the  distant  hills,  the  foliage,  and  river  were  gilded  and  bright 
with  the  burnished  rays  of  the  morning  sun ; but  as  it 
ascended  in  the  heavens,  its  heat  eventually  developed  such  a 
steam  from  the  saturated  ground,  that  the  atmosphere  became 
like  a vapour-bath,  the  wind  died  away,  and  the  temperature 
became  close,  hot,  and  stifling. 

On  the  borders  of  pools  of  water,  rapidly  evaporating, 
myriads  of  butterflies  covered  the  moist  ground,  rising  in 
clouds  as  we  rode  through  them,  like  a fall  of  variously- 
coloured  snow  ; they  were  of  many  varieties,  but  the  common 
brimstone  colour  predominated. 

Manga  do  Amador  was  at  last  sighted,  situated  on  high 
ground  by  the  river-side.’  On  arrival  we  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining a large  and  fairly-clean  empty  house,  where,  as  soon 
as  the  troop  arrived,  the  wet  baggage  was  unpacked,  and 
clothes  and  stores  extended  in  the  sunshine  in  a yard  at  the 
rear  ; such  a cleaning  and  drying  of  clothes  and  persons,  for 
we  all  felt  such  very  way-worn  travellers. 

The  village  is  built  upon  two  elevations,  eighty  feet  above 
the  river,  and  consists  of  a dilapidated  old  church,  and  about 
fifty  or  sixty  houses  or  ranchos  occupied  by  the  variously- 
coloured,  mixed  races  of  the  country,  hodesf  cabras‘‘  caboclos^ 
and  negros. 

I did  not  see  in  the  whole  village  any  semblance  to  a white 
skin  ; even  the  more  well-to-do  indicated  by  their  flat  faces 
and  lank  black  hair,  their  Indian  origin  ; there  seemed  to  be 
more  than  the  usual  apathy  in  this  place,  and  scant  of  civility, 
they  had  barely  energy  enough  to  favour  us  with  the  usual 
inspection,  or  wearily  turn  their  limp  lounging  forms  towards 
us  as  we  passed. 

It  is  eighty  miles  from  Januaria  by  tlie  river  ; the  bluffs  of  the  banks 
arc  thirty-four  feet  above  ordinary  water-level. 

Bode,  a male  goat,  is  a slang  term  for  a mulatto. 

■ Cabra,  a female  goat,  is  a common  name  for  any  coloured  individual, 
but  only  applied  to  the  lower  classes. 

a countryman,  but  the  name  infers  generally  an  Indian  origin. 


A Riverside  WAri'iNo. 


17 


There  was  a great  predominance  of  ill-favoured  mulatto 
and  caboclo  women,  tricked  out  in  all  the  coarse  finery  of 
country-embroidered  chemises,  many-coloured  ribbons  and 
gorgeously-coloured  cotton-skirts  ; nearly  all  were  tinkling 
guitars,  and  swinging  in  hammocks  in  their  grass-thatched, 
mud-walled  huts. 

This  place  is  a species  of  riverside  Wapping,  or  Southsea 
of  the  olden  time,  and  a favourite  place  of  call  for  the  bar- 
queiros  to  have  “a  day  ashore  ; ” but  there  being  no  ships  in 
port,  perhaps  accounted  for  the  more  than  usual  want  of 
animation. 

In  all  these  riverside  settlements  a traveller  cannot  help 
noticing  the  emaciated  frames  and  listless  countenances  of 
many  of  the  inhabitants,  due  in  a great  measure  to  repeated 
attacks  of  sezocs,  or  inaleta,  as  the  intermittent  fevers  are 
variously  termed.  A wholesome  life,  and  a few  local  efforts 
might  probably  prevent  the  development  of  the  disease  ; but  an 
utter  neglect  of  all  hygiene,  poor  diet,  e.xcess  in  drink  and 
debauchery,  late  hours,  and  the  squalor  and  filth  of  the  habita- 
tions are  a direct  invitation  of  the  sickness  in  a malarious 
district.  As  a proof  that  the  fevers  can  be  greatly  avoided, 
it  will  be  observed  that  all  the  wealthier  classes  are  compara- 
tively robust,  and  free  from  the  complaint  even  in  districts 
that  have  a bad  name  ; there  are,  however,  some  localities,  like 
the  Upper  Sao  Francisco,  that,  in  its  present  wild  state,  are 
simply  untenable,  no  personal  care  or  precaution  being  suffi- 
cient to  guard  against  an  attack  of  the  endemical  fevers. 

The  rich  red  earth  of  the  river  bluffs,  and  the  many  fine  trees 
in  the  clumps  of  woodland  that  surrounded  the  village,  indi- 
cate the  excellence  of  the  soil.  When  this  grand  natural 
highway  of  inland  Brazil  becomes  developed  by  thrifty  and 
energetic  immigrants,  what  a paradise  it  must  necessarily 
become  ; the  fevers  will  disappear,  as  they  have  disappeared 
in  many  parts  of  the  United  States,  by  occupation  and 
cultivation  of  the  land. 


VOL.  II. 


C 


CHAPTER  II. 


FROM  MANGA  DO  ARMADOR  TO  CARINHANIIA. 


Another  wet  march — Difficulties  of  passing  flooded  streams — Orchids — 
A varied  vegetation — A jararaca-assu  snake — A sensible  woman — 
Generous  and  kind  hosts — Valueless  mutton — An  industrious  and 
contented  man — Fazenda  de  Tabua — Another  ugly  crossing — Cattle 
districts — Ponte  de  Lagoa — Mosquitos — A dreary  night — Carousing 
black  neighbours — Dismal  squalor — A haunt  of  the  demon  sloth  — 
The  riverside  road — The  rising  of  the  waters — The  boundary  of 
Minas  Geraes  and  Bahia — The  Rio  Carinhanha— The  city  and  its 
inhabitants — Secluded  lives  of  the  females 
— A long  delay — Programme  of  explora- 
tions to  be  made — Climate — Idle  lives — 
Improvidence — A vessel  is  chartered  for  a 
voyage  down  the  river — Good-bye  to  old 
Tommy. 

Refreshed  and  reinvigorated  after  a 
day’s  lounge,  the  early  morning  saw  us 
once  more  on  the  march,  but  gusts  of 
wind  and  a heavy  leaden  sky  gave  indi- 
cations of  another  wet  march,  and  as 
we  descended  gradually  from  the  wooded 
bluffs  of  the  Manga  to  again  flooded 
lowlands,  the  rain  came  down  in  violence, 
as  though  it  had  been  reserving  its  force 
for  us  to  fairly  get  under  way. 

At  two  miles  out  we  came  across  an 
ugly  swollen  stream,  showing  only  the 
bush-tops  above  water  to  indicate  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  banks.  It  had 
to  be  crossed,  however,  somehow.  By 
searching,  the  men  fcund  a tree-trunk  three  feet  under 


A niatuto  on  a chilly 
morn  inn. 


Difficulties  of  I'ording  Flooded  Streams.  19 


the  rushing  water,  that  served  as  a bridge  for  foot-travel- 
lers ; a number  of  saplings  were  lashed  together  to  serve 
as  a long  firm  handrail,  the  ends  being  secured  to  the  bush 
on  each  side  of  the  stream  ; then  ensued  the  wearisome  work 
and  delay  of  unpacking  all  the  baggage  and  transporting 
it  on  the  men’s  backs,  the  submerged  trunk  serving  as  a 
bridge ; we  were  carried  across  in  similar  baggage  fashion  ; 
then  after  one  or  two  exceedingly  narrow  escapes  from 
drowning,  all  the  animals  were  safely  swum  across ; all  the 
time  the  rain  poured  down  pitilessly. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  stream  the  ground  was 
higher  and  not  flooded,  and  covered  with  a magnificent 
forest  growth.  I never  saw  so  many  orchids  and  other 
objects  of  interest  as  in  this  forest ; especially  noticeable  was 
a grand  vine  bearing  bright  crimson  passion  flowers. 
One  orchid,  whose  flowers  I plucked,  pos.sessed  a perfume 
like  heliotrope.  Often  the  only  answer  to  any  inquiries  for 
local  names  of  these  plants  is  “ tuna  flor  atod,"  or  “ uma  coisa 
aiod,"  i.e.  “ a useless  flower,”  or  “ a useless  thing.”  ‘ 

One  might  easily  have  filled  any  number  of  pages  in  only 
attempting  to  describe  the  varied  vegetation,  the  great 
quantities  of  variegated  leaf  plants,"  the  maze  of  tree-trunks, 
the  coiling,  festooned,  all-embracing  vines,  the  buttres.sed 
trees,  trees  tali  and  smooth  as  a scaffold-pole,  or  studded 
with  spikes  like  the  mamma  de porco^  here  where  every  tree 
or  palm,  or  sapling,  or  vine  is  different  to  its  neighbour,  only 
a series  of  drawings,  or  a volume  of  description  could  really 
convey  an  idea  of  these  woods. 

On  the  road  through  this  forest,  the  men  killed  a large 
jararaca-assu,  five  feet  nine  inches  in  length,  “o  • 

' A very  good  story  was  once  told  me  of  an  English  mining  engineer, 
who  came  out  to  report  upon  a mining  property  in  Brazil,  and  under- 
standing nothing  of  Portuguese,  he  described,  in  his  report,  a certain 
species  of  rock  as  being  known  to  the  natives  by  the  name  of  pedra 
ntodp  or,  in  other  words,  a useless  good-for-nothing  stone. 

* Xanthoxylon,  sp. 

^ Caladittm,  gen. 


C 2 


20 


Manga  do  Armador  to  Cariniianiia. 


A mid-day  halt  was  made  during  a cessation  of  the  rain 
in  a piece  of  open  rolling  hill-country  by  the  side  of  a 
small  swiftly  flowing  rivulet. 

Long  sheets  of  water  bordered  by  cerrado,  or  grass,  or 
clumps  of  wood,  was  the  type  of  country  traversed  in  the 
afternoon. 

At  4 p.m.  we  arrived  at  a comparatively  neat  and  bustling 
cattle-fazenda,  situated  on  a gentle  rise  from  the  lowlands, 
and  surrounded  by  cerrado.  At  the  door  of  the  house  a 
neatly  dressed  young  woman  was  standing,  who,  strange 
enough,  did  not  run  away  on  our  approach. 

On  inquiring  if  we  could  obtain  pasturage  for  the  animals, 
she  informed  us  that  although  her  husband  was  not  at  the 
moment  at  home,  she  expected  him  to  arrive  shortly,  and 
that  we  were  quite  welcome  ; there  was  good  pasture  close  by, 
and  would  we  dismount,  enter,  and  take  some  coffee.  Here 
was  a change  indeed ! what  varieties  of  people  one  meets  in  a 
day’s  march,  and  how  difficult  it  is  to  generalize  a nation  by 
the  individuals  one  becomes  associated  with,  for  here  was  a 
country-woman  who  fled  not  at  sight  of  strangers. 

Inside  the  house  there  were  many  indications  of  thrift  and 
activity  ; the  furniture  was  naturally  plain  and  simple,  yet 
there  was  an  air  of  comfort  rarely  met  with.  We  were 
shown  into  a large  room  with  tables,  chairs,  and  benches, 
and  were  told  it  was  at  our  disposition  ; a neighbouring  clo.scd 
shed  received  the  luggage,  and  the  tent  was  rai.scd  for  the 
men. 

Seeing  a number  of  sheep  wandering  about,  I asked  our 
hoste.ss  if  we  might  purchase  one. 

“ I’lirchasc  one  of  those  useless  animals  } What  for  ? ” 

I explained  that  we  should  duly  appreciate  their  flesh  for 
dinner. 

“ Deos  me  livrcl'  she  replied  with  astonishment,  “ what 
cat  those  bixos ! why  you  may  have  a half-dozen  if  you  like  ; 
but  sell  them  we  cannot,  as  they  are  valueless.”'' 

' 'I'hc  country  ISrazilians  have  a curious  antipalliy  to  mutton  that  is 


Kind  PKori.K. 


2 I 

W hilst  \vc  were  carefully  superintending  the  grilling  of  kid- 
neys and  mutton-chops,  our  host  arrived,  a good-looking  active 
young  man  of  twenty-five  or  twenty  six  years  of  age,  and 
as  near  a white  man  as  the  country-side  can  produce.  He  was 
very  cheery  and  kind,  and  endeavoured  to  do  all  in  his  power 
to  make  us  comfortable.  He  had  e.xcellent  beds  made  up 
for  us  of  sacks  filled  with  leaves  of  the  husks  of  maize,  and 
that,  I can  assure  any  one,  is  not  to  be  despised,  especially 
when  accompanied  by  rugs,  pillows,  and  clean  %lieets. 

Our  host  told  us  he  had  been  married  eight  years,  and  was 
then  twenty-six  years  old  ; he  had  inherited  the  lands  from 
his  father  with  a few  slaves  ; he  owned  many  herds  of  cattle 
and  cultivated  a rora  ; that  he  enjoyed  excellent  health,  and 
with  his  wife  and  children  he  was,  as  he  really  appeared  to  be, 
perfectly  happy  and  contented  ; he  had  enough  to  supply  his 
simple  requirements,  and  every  year  his  stock  was  increasing. 
W'e  chatted  on  until  late  in  the  evening,  and  our  host  and  his 
wife  were  apparently  so  interested  in  our  conversation  that 
they  were  loth  to  leave  us  ; we  sat  around  a fire  in  the  yard, 
some  on  chairs,  some  on  logs,  some  on  hides,  and  roasted 
sweet  mandioca  in  the  fire  ; thesenhora  eventually  fetched  her 
guitar,  and  favoured  us  with  songs  that,  if  rather  high-pitched 
and  nasal,  were  at  least  kindly  meant.  Our  best  thanks  and 
kindest  remembrances  to  the  fazendeiro  de  Tabua. 

January  2gth. — On  leaving  Tabua  the  next  morning  we 
experienced  again  rough  treatment  by  the  weather,  for  as 
we  entered  a second  growth  of  forest  (forest  bush  and  scrub), 
down  came  the  rain  again,  and  also  in  a short  distance 
another  ugly  stream,  the  Riacho  de  Colindo,  appeared  as 
a bar  to  our  progress  ; its  steep  slippery  banks,  and  deep 

simply  incomprehensible ; they  themselves  can  give  no  reason,  beyond 
the  fact  that  they  have  never  been  accustomed  to  it.  It  is  quite  within 
the  last  twenty  years  that  mutton  can  be  obtained  in  the  butchers’  shops 
even  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  I remember  that  in  Pernambuco  in  1868  to 
1873  the  only  mutton  procurable  was  what  could  be  obtained  from  the 
passing  Royal  Mail  steamers. 


22 


Manga  do  Armauor  to  Carinhaniia. 


swiftly  flowing  waters  appeared  almost  impassable.  After  a 
long  time  and  much  difficulty  a tall  jacarandd  sapling  was 
. felled,  and  hauled  into  a proper  position  across  the  flood,  to 
serve  as  a pingmlla^  and  by  its  help,  with  time,  labour,  and 
patience,  the  opposite  shore  was  finally  reached  with  all  the 
baggage. 

Further  on  the  country  becomes  more  and  more  open,  long 
stretches  of  grass  sward  and  thin  cerrado-covered  hills 
appear,  and  frequent  roadside  habitations,  chiefly  small  cattle- 
stations  or  herdsmen’s  huts,  indicate  a purely  and  simple 
cattle  district. 

Twenty-four  miles  of  steady  jogging  found  us  at  sunset  at 
Ponte  da  Lagoa,  a small  retiro  or  cattle-station  belonging  to 
a neighbouring  fazenda. 

My  companions  and  I were  a long  way  ahead  of  the  troop, 
the  sky  was  becoming  black  with  the  massing  of  clouds  of 
an  approaching  wet  night,  and  the  small  hut  of  the  retiro,  tem- 
porarily crowded  with  odorous  field-hands  and  their  friends, 
afforded  not  the  slightest  shelter  for  our  large  party.  It  was 
level  betting  which  arrived  first,  baggage  or  rain  : it  was  almost 
dark  before  both  arrived  at  the  same  time  ; it  was  a dead-heat 
between  them.  The  two  tents  were  hastily  raised,  but  not 
before  we  were  freely  sprinkled  and  bespattered  with  mud  ; 
a small  lean-to  of  boughs  and  grass  was  constructed  for 
Bob’s  kitchen  shelter.  The  wet  grass  and  soil  of  the  interior 
of  the  tents  were  not  the  most  enviable  places  for  repose,  but 
in  them,  neverthele.ss,  we  had  to  lay  our  hides  for  beds,  and 
make  the  most  of  circumstances.  The  air  was  extremely 
hot  and  stifling,  and  to  our  sorrow  we  soon  found  filled  with 
torturing  mosquitos,  in  such  numbers  that  all  thoughts  of 
.sleep  were  impossible. 

Seeing  that  our  black  neighbours  in  the  rctiro  were  evi- 
dently equally  tormented,  by  the  clouds  of  cow-dung  smoke 
issuing  from  their  roof,  I sent  to  beg  a quantity,  which  they 

Pinguclla  is  a common  term  used  to  exiness  :i  tree  or  a thrown 
across  ;i  stream  for  the  use  of  foot-passengers. 


A Dreakv  Ni(;iir. 


willingly  gave  us  from  a store  they  had  collected.  We  soon 
had  this  burning  in  and  outside  of  the  tents. 

The  smell,  or  the  smoke,  of  burning  cow-dung,  is  certainly 
most  effective  in  driving  off  mosquitos — in  fact,  the  most 
efficacious  remedy  used  in  Brazil ; as  soon,  however,  as  the 
smoke  ceases,  the  mosquitos  return  with  reinforcements ; 
consequently  it  is  a choice  between  being  half-suffocated 
with  the  fumes  or  of  suffering  the  insects  to  inflict  their 
worst.  Whilst  awake,  we  sneeze,  cough,  the  eyes  smart,  and 
we  rub  our  tingling  bodies  until  sleep  relieves  us,  then  the 
fires  expire,  and  the  mo.squitos  recommence  their  attacks. 
What  with  the  close  hot  steamy  atmosphere,  our  fatigues, 
smoke,  hard  beds,  and  mosquitos,  it  was  a long  and  weary 
night,  and  the  morning  found  us  in  a feverish  state  of  body 
and  mind. 

Our  black  friends  had  evidently  determined  to  make  a night 
of  it,  for  we  heard  their  guitars,  voices,  and  the  hand-clapping 
and  shuffling  of  feet  of  the  batuque  dance  all  the  night  long. 

January  ^ot/i. — The  cool  air  of  dawn,  the  morning  coflee, 
and  a bucket  of  water  to  a certain  extent  refreshed  and  cooled 
our  feverish  and  smarting  bodies. 

The  broad  light  of  daylight  revealed  an  abject  .scene  of 
dreary  di.scomfort  in  the  hut  of  our  neighbours,  a smoke- 
begrimed,  old  and  rotten  rancho,  the  thatch  decayed,  and 
festering  with  age  and  damp,  the  whole  almost  totteiing  with 
decrepitude  ; logs,  refuse  and  rubbish,  rotten  hides  and  rotten 
.saddles,  encumbered  the  interior  and  surroundings  ; rank  gra.ss 
and  bush  partially  hid  from  view  the  wretched  abode  ; the 
inhabitants  appeared  wan  and  sickly  from  their  last  night's 
debauchery,  evidently  having  drunk  heavily  of  the  fiery 
cachaca,  as  most  of  them  were  yet  “ half-seas  over.’'  These  are 
the  conditions  that  promote  and  foster  the  intermittent  fevers.* 

® It  is  a false  idea  that  the  Brazilians  have,  of  drinking  inordinate 
quantities  of  raw  spirit  as  a preventitive  of  ague.  The  custom  only 
disturbs  the  constitutional  functions,  debilitates,  and  renders  them  more 
liable  to  the  infection. 


24 


Manga  do  Armador  to  Carinhanha. 


Near  the  hut  was  a poor  weed-overgrown  ro^a  ; where  tall 
castor-oil-trees  mingled  their  beautiful  foliage  with  the  tall 
stems  of  Indian  corn,  beans  struggled  for  life  with  coarse 
weeds,  grass  and  samambaha  bracken  ; small  plots  of  ma7iioc 
were  almost  indistinguishable  in  the  chaos  of  plants,  decayed 
and  broken  fences,  and  all  the  other  evidences  of  idleness 
and  neglect.  Gladly  we  departed  from  such  a haunt  of  the 
demon  sloth. 

A steep  descent  by  a zigzag,  slippery  path,  knee-deep  in 
mud,  brought  us  to  a foaming  stream,  fortunately  not  deep, 
and  which  we  were  enabled  to  ford  with  but  a slight  wetting 
to  the  baggage. 

Four  miles  more  of  open  country  interspersed  with  hollows 
filled  with  brambley  scrub  and  woods,  brought  us  to  the 
Corrego  de  Escuro,  another  similarly  ugly  place  to  what  we 
had  experienced  on  each  of  the  last  two  days.  Two  or  three 
hours  of  hard  and  anxious  work,  however,  saw  us  again  on 
the  other  side. 

Beyond  the  Corrego  de  Escuro  the  road  follows  the  crest 
of  the  river-banks  for  two  or  three  miles,  the  adjoining  land 
is  extremely  low,  and  away  to  our  left  the  floods  covered 
many  miles  of  country.  On  our  right  were  the  turbid  waters 
of  the  Silo  Francisco  ; we  were  on  a ridge  with  water  on  each 
side  ; the  river  was  evidently  rising,  for  in  many  places  we 
could  see  the  waters  breaking  down  barriers  and  invading 
new  areas  ; many  parts  of  the  road  were  already  under  water 
for  considerable  distances,  the  bushes  being  the  only  evidences 
of  the  e.xistence  of  tert'a  finna  in  the  vast  expanse  of  waters. 

Another  four  miles  brought  us  to  higher  ground  and  the 
Fazenda  de  Escuro,  a small  cattle-farm  by  the  riverside. 
Bushing  on  over  two  more  miles  of  flat,  partially  inundated 
land  brought  us  to  the  Rio  Carinhanha,  where  we  le<ave  the 
Brovince  of  Minas  Geracs,  in  which  we  have  so  long  been 
journeying,  for  that  of  Bahia  on  the  other  side  of  this  river. 
Owing  to  the  floods,  neither  banks,  nor  mouth  of  the  river 
could  be  distinguished,  only  the  toj)S  of  bushes  indicated 
approximately  its  limits. 


The  Boundary  of  Minas  Geraes  and  Bahia.  25 

A ferry  is  provided  at  this  place  in  the  form  of  a lari^e 
ajiyo.  My  companions  and  I crossed  over  at  once,  leavinj^ 
our  train  to  follow.  The  water  of  the  Carinhanha  was  beauti- 
fully clear,  even  in  that  time  of  rains,  a fact  that  shows  that 
its  course  traverses  either  a comparatively  flat  and  sandy  or  a 
rocky  country.  The  former  is  the  case. 

Two  miles  more  by  a perfectly  flat  plain  with  a lagoon  in 
its  centre,  brought  us  at  last  to  our  destination.  A few  out- 
lying scattered  and  thatched  huts  first  indicate  our  approach 
to  the  town.  Then  the  cemetery  appears  in  sight,  a square 
enclosure,  surrounded  by  a neat  whitewashed  wall  of  adobe 
brieks,  with  a wooden  gate  and  entrance  ; a little  further  on 
we  pass  up  a sandy  street  lined  with  poor  adobe  houses  and 
palm-thatched  huts  of  wattle  and  dab,  that  leads  us  to 
the  square,  containing  the  town  residences  of  the  wealtJiier 
farmers  of  the  neighbourhood,  the  houses  of  the  district 
judge,  priest,  lawyer,  doctor,  public  prosecutor,  municipal 
judge,  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  principal  traders  of  the 
city,  the  principal  church,  the  gaol,  and  the  municipal 
chambers.  All  this  is  suggestive  of  wealth  and  prosperity 
and  fine  buildings,  but,  alas ! it  is  as  deceptive  as  similar 
names  would  be  in  the  first  nucleus  of  a town  in  the  Western 
States  of  the  United  States.  There  is  not  a single  sobrado  or 
two-storied  house  in  the  whole  town,  but  the  houses  of  the 
whiter  and  more  well-to-do  classes  are  e.xceptionally  neat 
and  clean.  In  front  of  them  are  raised  brick  pavements 
where,  in  rocking-chairs,  the  families  assemble  in  the  cool  of 
the'  evening  for  coffee,  chat,  or  a nasal  song  "do  amor" 
accompanied  by  the  tinkling  notes  of  the  wire  strings  of  the 
native-made  guitar. 

The  church  is  a plain  whitewashed  oblong  edifice  of  bricky 
a roof  of  tiles,  and  tile-roofed  open  corridors  run  along  each 
side  of  the  building.  The  gaol  is  a huge  birdcage  of  sticks 
and  mud,  and  roofed  with  tiles,  very  old  and  very  dilapidated  ; 
such  a place  of  detention  would  amuse  any  ordinary  civilized 
rough,  but  the  few  prisoners  in  the  cage  were  apparently 
contented  with  their  lot,  and  did  not  wish  for  a change,  other- 


26 


Maxga  do  Armador  to  Carixhanha. 


wise  they  doubtless  would  have  moved  ere  this  ; they  had 
plenty  to  eat,  and  from  their  friends  outside  could  obtain 
tobacco,  rum,  guitars,  go  for  a walk  occasionally,  and  sleep 
the  rest  of  their  time  away.  What  more  could  they  do  if 
they  were  free  ? Beyond  the  south  square  a street  leads  into 
the  more  plebian  north  square,  that  with  a few  more  streets 
completes  the  little  city,  Cidade  de  Carinhanha. 

We  proceeded  to  visit,  firstly,  Mr.  J.  B . Our  delay  was 

reduced  to  the  minimum  compatible  with  the  necessity  of  the 


discussion  of  business  and  future  movements.  Mr.  A.  F 

was  found  located  in  the  black  and  brown  interior  of  an  un- 
whitewashed, smoke-begrimed  mud-hut,  facing  the  birdcage- 
like  gaol.  We  ourselves,  with  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Joao 
Lopes  Rodrigues,  usually  known  as  Dr.  Lopes,  obtained  each 
one  a wretched  shanty.  Our  friend  is  the  gentleman  Captain 
Burton  met  with  seven  years  previously,  at  Malhada,  and 
brought  down  with  him  in  his  “brig.”  With  the  Captain's 
permission,  I will  repeat  his  observations  of  this  gentleman  ; — 
“ A white  man  walked  in  whilst  we  were  sitting  with  Lieut. 
Loureiro,  and  astonished  us  by  his  civilized  aspect,  amongst 
all  this  Gcnte  do  Cor  ; he  was  introduced  as  Dr.  (M.D.)  Joao 
Lopes  Rodrigues,  who  had  graduated  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and 


The  North  Square,  City  of  Carinh.anha. 


CAKINHANIIA  and  its  iNHAniTANTS. 


27 


had  settled  at  Carinhanha.  No  one  had  the  indecency  to 
ask  him  the  reason  why  ; he  complained  of  the  Prequiya  do 
Serti'io— the  idleness  of  the  wild  country — and  of  stimulus 
being  totally  wanted,  except  when  a stranger  happens  to  pass, 

I have  heard  the  same  in  Dublin  society  ; possibly  Dr.  Rod- 
rigues, like  a certain  Abyssinian  traveller,  found  ‘ making  up 
his  mind  ’ a severe  and  protracted  process.  Me  had  suffered 
from  the  damp  of  the  river  valley,  always  cold-damp  or  hot- 
damp,  so  different  from  the  dry  air  and  sweet  waters  of  the 
.sandy  table-lands  on  both  sides  of,  and  generally  at  short 
distances  from,  the  river.  He  had  none  of  the  pretentious 
manner  and  address  usually  adopted  by  the  Bahiano,  who 
holds  himself  the  cream  of  Brazilian  cream,  and  he  readily 
accepted  a passage  in  the  raft  to  his  home,  about  two  miles 
down  stream.” 

And  at  Carinanha  he  further  says;  “Dr.  Rodrigues  led 
us  to  his  house  in  the  square,  and  offered  us  the  lu.xuries  of 
sofa  and  rocking-chair,  wax  candles,  and  a map  of  the  war; 
moreover  he  gave  me  his  photograph.” 

I had  many  opportunities  of  meeting  the  Doctor,  and  also 
Doctor  Jose  Marianno  dos  Campos,  the  Juiz  de  Direito,  and 
other  local  officials,  white  men  and  apparently  gentlemen, 
and  can  testify  to  their  courteous  manners  and  many  little 
acts  of  kindness.  One  day  we  caught  a glimpse  of  the  wife 
of  Doctor  Lopes,  certainly  the  only  pretty  face  we  had  seen 
for  a long  time,  and  the  only  one  perceptible  in  Carinhanha  ; 
but  the  Doctor,  with  all  his  polish,  maintains  the  old  Portu- 
guese custom  of  secluding  the  female  part  of  his  household 
from  the  contact  of  strangers.  What  an  awful  life  it  must 
be  for  a young  woman  in  these  circumstances,  no  relief  or 
change  to  the  dull  routine  and  monotony  of  her  daily  life, 
immured  in  the  small  rooms  at  rear  of  the  house,  that  only 
look  out  upon  a yard  with  a few  fruit-trees  and  flowers. 

Ten  days  we  passed  in  this  sleepy  city,  waiting  for  Mr.  J. 

B to  make  up  his  mind  and  arrive  at  some  determination 

of  his  next  movements.  Finally  it  was  decided  that  he  would 


28 


Manga  do  Armador  to  Cariniianiia. 


personally  examine  the  country  between  here  and  the  Rio 

Tocantins,  accompanied  by  Messrs.  A.  F and  H.  O , 

Mr.  H.  G remaining  at  Carinhanha  until  his  return.  I 

received  instructions  to  go  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  proceed  up  that  river,  cross  the  divide,  and  descend  the 
Rio  do  Somno,  and  the  Tocantins,  and  afterwards  to  find  my 
way  to  Bahia  on  the  coast. 

The  days  passed  very  slowly  and  monotonously,  the  weather 
was  hot  and  sultry,  sometimes  reaching  92°  in  the  shade  in 
the  day-time,  yet  there  appeared  to  be  no  sickness,  although 
the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  appeared  to  be  without 
occupation,  sleeping  and  lounging  in  the  day-time,  and  play- 
ing the  guitar,  singing,  dancing,  and  drinking  cacha^a  at 
night.  It  would  appear  strange  at  fijst  to  imagine  how 
these  people  manage  to  subsist ; the  reason  of  so  much  loafing 
is,  that  after  a few  days’  work  in  the  fields  or  on  the  river, 
either  in  cultivating  the  ground,  in  fishing,  or  by  petty  trading, 
the  men  manage  to  gather  a little  cash,  and  then  return  to 
the  town,  where  they  idle  away  their  time  in  drink  and  de- 
bauchery until  their  means  are  e.xhausted  and  they  are  forced 
to  again  return  to  a little  more  work.  No  provision  is  made 
for  old  age  or  sickness,  or  large  families,  for  when  either  of 
these  contingencies  occur,  the  men  take  to  begging  like  ducks 
to  water,  and  accost  you  with  “ Alms,  for  the  love  of  God,  for 
a poor  old  man — or  for  a poor  sick  man — or  for  a poor 
father  burdened  with  a numerous  family,”  &c.,  as  the  various 
circumstances  may  be.  It  is  rare  that  they  arc  refused  a 
copper,  if  it  is,  the  refusal  is  always  accompanied  by  a touch  of 
the  hat  and  a perdoe ' (pardon),  an  exculpatory  reply  that  is 
meant  to  excuse  not  so  much  a disinclination  to  confer  the 
alms  for  the  .sake  of  the  beggar,  but  for  “ the  love  of  God,”  in 
whose  name  it  has  been  requested. 

We  divided  our  time  in  taking  walks  in  the  town  and 
adjoining  country,  in  visiting  the  Gente  graudo^  in  chatting 

’ I’ronouncc  pcar-doy-cc. 

'J  his  e.\pression  is  used  to  signify  people  of  importance.  The  words 


GooD-nvE  TO  “ Tommy.” 


29 


with  the  customerless  shopkeepers,  or  sketching,  writing,  or 
discussing  our  future  journeys. 

Having  at  last  received  my  final  instructions,  an  ajoojo, 
belonging  to  one  of  the  storekeepers,  was  chartered  to  take 
me  to  the  Rio  Grande  for  the  sum  of  2748  000,  this  amount 
included  the  wages  of  pilot  and  two  boatmen,  and  provisions 
for  same,  for  about  a week’s  journey,  that  cost  per  day  about 
four  times  the  price  of  the  fares  of  the  Royal  Mail  steamers 
for  a similar  period. 

I had  now  to  part  with  poor  old  “ Tommy,”  my  ancient 
and  much  bantered  grey  mule,  that  had  carried  me  safely, 
without  any  mishap,  for  two  years  of  constant  work.  It  was 
like  parting  with  an  old  friend.  I was  very  fond  of  the 
animal,  and  had  done  my  best  to  win  his  affection,  but  corn 
was  ever  his  soul-absorbing  thought. 

The  rest  of  my  troop  I handed  over  to  my  companions  for 
their  journey  by  land  to  the  Tocantins.’ 

literally  mean  “ matured  people,”  consequently  the  expression  combines 
both  age,  position,  or  wealth. 

® A brief  summary  of  their  exploration  will  be  found  in  Appendix  B,  at 
the  end  of  this  volume. 


CHAPTER  III. 


FROM  CARINHANIIA  TO  BARRA  DO  RIO  GRANDE. 


Departure  from  Carinhanha  down  the  river — The  Ajojo — Head  winds — 
A mosquito-infested  port — First  night  on  the  river — An  early  stait — 
River  etiquette — An  impromptu  sail — The  shores  of  the  river — The 
crew — Flooded  lands — A sunset  on  the  river — Great  appetites  of  the 
crew — A misty  morning — Sao  Bom  Jezus  da  Lapa — A curious  rock — 
Who  are  we  ?- — A hospitable  padre — A riverside  vicarage — A Brazi- 
lian Mecca — The  crew  ashore — Across  country  on  a raft — The  flood 
— A falling  barometer — A squall — A dirty  night — Mosquitos  again — 
A night  voyage — Sitio  de  Matto — Proposed  capital  of  new  province 
—The  island  of  fear — Urubu — A sleepy  city — A local  magnate — The 
Brazilian  student — A night  ashore — A mountainous  country — The 
Carnahuba  palm — Bom  Jardim — An  excellent  situation  and  healthy 
climate— Morro  do  Para — An  adventure — A bad  lot — A geographical 
bootmaker — A dreamy  night  voyage — A riverside  squatter — The  war 
of  the  Guimaraes  — Cidade  de  Barra. 


strong  current  of  the  still 
the  bank  became  smaller 
increased,  and  faint  shouts 


Accompanied  by  my  com- 
panions, and  Dr.  Lopes  and 
others  of  the  Gcntc  grauda.  I 
proceeded  to  the  muddy  shore, 
where  our  final  adcos  were  made 
in  good  hearty  English  hand- 
shaking with  my  old  com- 
panions, and  embraces  with  my 
Brazilian  friends. 

As  we  paddled  down  the 
flooded  river,  the  group  on 
and  smaller  as  the  distance 
were  heard  of  “Good-bye,  old 


The  Ajojo. 


fellow,”  “Good  luck  to  you,”  &c.,  and  from  Mr.  J.  Ik,  “What- 
ever you  do,  take  care  of  the  aneroids,  the  an-c-roids.” 

I now  had  an  opportunity  of  looking  around  me  in  my  new 
condition.  As  familiar  memories  occurred  of  the  jog,  jog  of 
the  mules,  and  how  hard  the  scat  of  the  saddle  used  to  become 
towards  the  afternoon,  and  the  cramped  stiffened  limbs,  I 
must  confess  that  my  first  sensations  were  extremely  plea- 
surable, as  we  glided  smoothly  along  by  the  river-banks, 
topped  sometimes  by  forest  or  bush,  sometimes  by  ro^as. 
The  craft  consisted  of  two  native  cedar-wood  canoes,  or  dug- 
outs,  about  thirty  feet  long,  placed  two  feet  apart,  forming 
a sort  of  pontoon  by  means  of  a number  of  saplings  placed 
close  together  athwart  the  canoes  for  about  two-thirds  of  their 
length,  making  a comparatively  even  deck,  the  extremities  of 
the  canoes  were  uncovered  ; the  quarter-deck  was  occupied  by 
the  poop,  or  state  room,  a gipsy-like  hut  of  bamboos  and 
other  pliable  sticks,  bent  in  the  form  of  a half-hoop,  other 
sticks  laid  longitudinally  and  lashed  to  the  hoops  received  a 
palm-leaf  thatch,  covered  by  raw  hides,  each  one  of  the  saloon 
extremities  was  open  and  unprotected.  The  state  room  was 
sufficiently  high  to  receive  my  baggage  and  a bed  of  hide 
and  rugs  spread  upon  fragrant  grass,  over  which  hung  sus- 
pended a mosquito-net ; forwards  in  the  foc’sel  my  man  Bob 
(who  yet  accompanied  me  with  the  dog  Feroz),  was  ar- 
ranging his  kitchen,  a half-tub  of  earth,  on  which  were  spread 
the  materials  for  a fire  for  the  inevitable  beans  (fezjoes), 
around  him  were  the  packed  tent,  saddles,  bridles,  batterie  de 
cuisine,  and  stores  for  the  voyage. 

Ahead  in  the  bows,  the  two  paddlers  were  hard  at  work 
against  a strong  northerly  breeze  that  was  then  springing  up, 
and  yelling  at  the  tops  of  their  voices  as  they  stood  up  and 
worked  the  long  heavy  paddles.  “ A decs,  CarinJianhal 

Adcos  ! Adeos,  Mariquinha  ininlia  bemzinha  ! ” ‘ 

In  the  afternoon  the  wind  increased  and  as  the  craft  com- 

* Good-bye,  Carinhanha  I Good-bye ! Good-bye,  little  Marj-,  my 
darling. 


32 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco, 


mcnced  to  “ put  her  nose  into  it”  and  take  in  water  over  her 
bows  from  the  short  chopping  waves,  we  were  obliged  to  run 
along  close  in  shore. 

The  strong  head-wind,  even  with  the  current  in  our  favour, 
prevented  making  much  headway,  consequently  at  sunset, 
we  found  ourselves  only  ten  miles  out,  and  the  wind  blowing 
up-stream  in  strong  fitful  gusts,  forced  us  to  seek  refuge  from 
a dirty  night  in  a little  cove,  where  we  made  fast  and  landed 
for  wood  ; but  we  had  not  been  there  long  before  an  ominous 
high  note,  pee-e-njen-njenl'  indicated  the  approach  of  mos- 
quitos, and,  truly,  in  a few  moments,  we  were  surrounded  by 
a perfect  roar  of  myriads  of  the  insects.  How  they  made  us 
move  about,  and  vengefully  smite  ourselves  on  face,  neck, 
hands,  arms,  and  legs  ; how  we  capered  and  blessed.  The 
enemy  were  too  many  for  us,  and  sink  or  swim,  we  pushed 
off  into  the  darkening  boisterous  night,  taking  many  of  the 
mosquitos  as  passengers. 

Half  an  hour  later  found  us  again  anchored  alongside  a 
sandbank,  against  which  the  waves  of  the  river  rolled  like  a 
little  sea,  and  made  the  craft  pitch  freely,  but  it  rode  the  water 
fairly,  and  if  we  sunk  in  the  night  it  would  be  in  shallow 
water.  Out  in  this  open  roadstead  the  wind  blew  so 
strong  and  cold  and  damp,  that  the  rugs  were  very  accept- 
able. 

The  movement  of  the  raft,  the  sounds  of  the  ripple  and 
wash  of  the  water  alongside,  the  broad  open  expanse  of  the 
flowing  river,  faintly  shimmering  in  the  pale  light  of  the  starry 
night,  the  hurtling  of  the  wind  amongst  the  trees  on  shore, 
the  splash  of  fish,  and  the  murmur  of  the  men’s  voices,  created 
a scene  of  novelt)’’  and  of  strangeness. 

February  1 1. — The  men  were  up  and  paddling  long  before 
the  sun,  or  I,  had  risen.  The  noise  of  getting  under  wa)- 
awoke  me,  but  the  sight  of  dense  mists  on  the  river,  and  the 
comparative  comfort  of  my  couch,  and  the  knowledge  that 
there  was  no  mule  to  mount,  made  one  feel  like  a city  clerk 
on  a Sunday,  when  he  realizes  that  there  is  no  necessity  to 


Ax  iMTROMrTU  Sail. 


get  up  in  the  darkness  and  cold  of  a winter’s  morning,  and 
be  in  the  city  at  9 a.m. 

The  wind  had  dropped,  and  the  morning  sun  rose  with 
splendour  and  rapidly  dissipated  the  chilly  mists.  The  craft 
followed  the  full  force  of  the  mid-stream,  and  the  paddlers 
worked  with  a will,  shouting  their  riv^er-songs,  and  slanging 
a passing  barca,  whose  polemen  were  chaffing  and  ridiculing 
our  plebeian  ajojo."  Right  and  left  of  us  extended  the  banks 
of  the  river,  capped  by  bush  or  thin  belts  of  forest,  behind 
which  extend  long  stretches  of  shallow  lagoons.  On  the 
west  bank  the  ground  is  perceptibly  higher,  and  high  bluffs 
frequently  appear,  topped  by  habitations  or  small  farms. 

The  east  bank  is  lower  and  flatter,  and  presents  more  the 
appearance  of  the  recedence  of  the  waters,  whereas  the  other 
side  appears  as  though  it  is  being  continually  undermined 
by  the  riv'er.  I especially  noticed  this  peculiarity  during  the 
rest  of  the  voyage,  and  also  on  the  upper  river  ; naturally, 
there  are  many  e.xceptions  to  this  rule,  even  to  the  reverse, 
but  altogether  that  is  undoubtedly  the  general  appearance. 
Can  it  be  the  effect  of  the  rotation  of  the  earth  on  its  a.xis 
upon  this  long  length  of  waters  flowing  almost  on  a meridian 
from  south  to  north  } 

A fair  wind  from  the  south  springing  up,  I conceived  the 
idea  of  rigging  up  a sail.  Taking  from  my  trunks  some 
sheets,  now  long  out  of  use.  Bob  was  instructed  to  sew  them 
together  ; a mast  and  spar  were  obtained  from  the  forest, 
and  in  due  time,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  crew,  a lug-sail 
was  hoisted,  and  the  wind  being  fresh  and  fair,  it  succeeded  ex- 
cellently, and  sent  the  water  foaming  by  the  bows.  I believe 
this  was  the  first  sail  that  had  been  spread  on  those  waters, 
for  so  said  the  pilot.  There  is  no  feasible  reason  why  this 

* It  is  customarj'  to  all  the  river  craft — bar  cos,  ajojos  and  large  canoes 
— to  carry  a large  tin  speaking-trumpet,  in  order  that  the  two  latter  may 
salute  the  two  former  in  passing,  which  is  then  promptly  responded.  If 
it  is  not  done,  as  on  the  above  occasion,  a storm  cf  opprobrium  and  foul 
language,  or  ridicule,  emanates  from  the  crew  of  the  barcas  as  a protest 
against  the  breach  of  river  etiquette. 

VOL.  II. 


D 


34 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


river  should  not  be  navigated  by  sailing  craft,  other  than  that 
the  boatmen,  for  generations,  have  become  habituated  to  the 
pole  and  paddle,  and,  like  all  customs  in  Brazil,  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  make  any  change.® 

We  pass  by  an  ever-varying  scenery  on  shore,  some- 
times an  extensive  sheet  of  water,  showing  where  the  river 
has  submerged  its  margin  and  extended  for  miles  inland,  a 
sheet  of  yellow  water  dotted  with  bushes  and  trees,  or  where 
the  tops  of  fences,  surrounded  by  trees,  show  an  inundated 
roc^a,  or  high  perpendicular  banks  and  bluffs  of  red  and 
white  sandy  clay,  were  miniature  slips  sometimes  occur,  and 
slide  down  with  a thud  and  splash  into  the  undermining  river  ; 
these  high  bluffs  are  topped  by  forest,  or  with  little  clearings,and 
straw-thatched,  mud-walled  huts,  whose  inhabitants,  when- 
ever they  appear,  are  duly  chaffed  by  the  irrepressible  crew  ; 
the  pilot,  yawning  a formidable  'opening,  mildly  expostu- 
lates, and  tells  them  to  “ ter  inodo"  (to  have  manners,  i.e., 
behave  themselves). 

At  eleven  o’clock,  the  craft  passed  Barreiros,  a small 
hamlet  on  the  right  bank,  forty  miles  from  Carinhanha. 

At  sunset  we  reached  Palma,  a solitary  house  on  the  west 
bank,  sixty-eight  miles  from  Carinhanha.  The  occupants 
were  in  hourly  expectation  of  the  waters  rising  still  higher, 
and  overflowing  the  banks  and  flooding  them  out.  A large 
canoe  was  moored  close  by,  in  which  they  had  embarked 
their  few  poor  goods  and  chattels,  all  ready  for  a retreat. 

The  wind  had  died  away  at  3 p.m.,  when  the  sail  was 
furled.  As  the  ajojo  laid  alongside  the  grassy  edge  of  the 
bank,  the  waters  almost  flush  with  the  surface  of  the  soil, 
the  scene  was  remarkably  charming  ; there  was  not  a speck 
of  cloud  to  mar  the  soft  blues  and  pearls  of  the  evening  sky, 
not  a ripple  ruffled  the  smooth  surface  of  the  water,  that 
reflected  like  a looking-glass  the  graduated  half-tones  of  the 

■'  Tlie  danger  of  capsizing  from  sudden  gusts  of  wind  from  S.E.  to 
N.W.,  redemonhos  or  ph  devento,  is  Uic  usual  excuse  given  for  not  using 
sails.  Ignorance  of  their  use  is  proljably  the  truer  reason. 


Sunset  ox  the  River. 


35 


sky  ; across  the  picture  stretched  the  long  dark  outline  of 
the  opposite  shore;  the  smoke  of  our  fire  curled  upwards,  a 
spiral  column  of  blue  ; the  lines  of  the  ajojo  in  the  fore- 
ground formed  a bold  outline  of’  dark  shade  against  the  soft 
masses  of  light  beyond  it.  In  the  elements  of  the  picture 
there  was  nothing  e.xceptional  ; a raft,  a broad  sheet  of 
water,  a long  narrow  line  of  forested  banks,  and  the  sky  ; it 
was  simply  a picture  of  wonderful  colours  and  graduated 
tones. 

Another  picture  of  a more  material  character  was  to  see 
the  boatmen  seat  themselves  around  a huge  basin  of  boiled 
feijdo,  toucin/io,  and  farinha  ; they  take  the  mess  with  their 
fingers,  squeeze  it  into  little  balls,  and  swallow  it  with  a gulp, 
much  the  same  as  a dog  does  any  tit-bit.  I mentally  cubed 
up  the  quantity  originally  in  the  bowl,  and  divided  it  by  the 
number  of  consumers.  The  result  arrived  at  was  far  in  e.xcess 
of  what  I had  imagined  to  be  the  capacit)'  of  the  human 
stomach.''  About  a gill  of  cachaqa  was  then  swallowed  in 
the  same  pill-like  way^  then  their  cigarettes  lighted,  those 
men  were  happy,  and  ready  for  work. 

Mosquitos  arrived  as  darkness  came  on,  but  although 
many  an  occasional  slap  and  anathema  was  heard,  the  men 
were  soon  asleep. 

My  craft  was  not  a first-class  ship  like  Captain  Burton’s 
brig  Eliza.  Mine  could  not  aspire  to  be  anything  but  a 
lugger,  neither  was  my  state-room  so  roomy,  or  upholstered 
so  richly  and  conveniently  as  that  celebrated  brig’s.  My 
space  was  more  limited,  and,  after  the  unaccustomed  want  of 
exercise  all  day,  great  is  one’s  wakefulness  and  long  are  the 
evenings  ; but  the  mosquitos  settled  the  question,  whether  I 
should  perambulate  the  bank  or  retire  to  my  narrow  quarters, 
by  driving  me  to  the  friendly  shelter  of  the  mosquito-net. 

^ M.  Halfield,  who  must  have  had  a considerable  experience  of  these 
boatmen  during  his  survey  of  the  river,  states  that  their  powers  of  con- 
sumption are  four  times  those  of  an  ordinary  land-labourer,  and  those 
are  sufficiently  vast. 


D 2 


36 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


February  I2. — Thanks  to  the  mosquitos  and  a fine  night, 
the  lugger  stood  out  to  sea  in  the  early  hours  of  morning. 
The  atmosphere  was  not  cold,  but  a moist  fresh  air  came  up- 
stream, and  made  one  feel  chilly  and  damp. 

The  river  was  so  high  that  long  stretches  of  the  banks, 
miles  in  extent,  were  under  water,  and  in  many  places  the 
flood  rushed  inland  like  a mill-race ; the  higher  banks  were 
almost  everywhere  capped  by  many  huts  and  small  farms. 

Soon  after  mid-day  we  sailed  into  the  port  of  the  Thauma- 
turgical  Silo  Bom  Jesus  de  Lapa,  at  the  base  of  a huge  rock 
that  rears  itself  above  the  flat  surrounding  country  ; it  is 
twenty-eight  miles  from  Palma,  and  ninety-six  from  Carin- 
hanha.  The  craft  passed  over  the  submerged  banks,  fences, 
roqas,  and  bush,  and  anchored  in  a partly  flooded  street  leading 
to  the  village,  that  is  situated  on  higher  ground,  above  all  flood 
levels. 

The  first  appearance  of  this  huge  limestone  rock,  that  rises 
so  abruptly  from  a flat  flooded  plain,  is  very  striking.  A 
perpendicular  wall  of  rock,  about  i8o  feet  high  and  150  yards 
wide,  faces  the  river,  and  extends  inland  for  more  or  less  600 
yards  ; its  face  is  seamed  with  the  action  of  weather  of 
untold  ages,  grey  and  hoary  with  time  and  lichens.  Its 
summit  bristles  with  pinnacles,  sharp  pointed  rocks,  and 
detached  blocks.  In  the  holes  and  crannies,  blue  viunducarii 
candelabra-like  cactus,  and  other  varieties,  form  characteristic 
and  quaint  features,  very  similar  to  the  vegetation  on  the 
limestone  rocks  passed  on  the  road  north  of  Carinhanha. 
Two  openings  in  the  river  front  form  entrances  to  a cave, 
that  has  been  utilized  as  a church,  and  forms  one  of  the 
holiest  of  the  holies  of  the  Sao  ITancisco  regions. 

Some  of  the  povo  (people)  now  approached  us,  and 
inquired,  “ O qtie  c que  tem  para  ncgociar?"  (What  have  you 
got  to  trade  ?)  Our  reply  that  we  had  nothing  to  sell,  and 
did  not  wish  to  ijurchase  anything,  as  usual  created  astonish- 
ment. Their  looks  evidently  expressed  an  unuttcred  inquiry 
of  “ Well,  who  and  what  can  you  be  then  ? ” But  my  request 


A IIosriTAHLE  Padre. 


37 

to  be  directed  to  the  residence  of  the  Padre  somewhat  re- 
assured them,  and  they  willingly  showed  the  way. 

The  principal  voida  and  dry-goods  store  constituted  the 
rectory,  and  there  at  home  in  his  shop,  I found  the  Padre, 

Senor  P' de  F , a tall,  gaunt-limbed,  last-week 

shaved,  forty-year-old  son  of  Portugal,  dressed  in  ccronUis^ 
not  very  white  cotton  shirt,  and  a faded  coloured-print  dress- 
ing-gown  ; his  bare  feet  dragged  about  a pair  of  slip-shod 
clattering  wooden  tamancos,  or  clogs.  He  looked  at  my 
card  that  I handed  to  him,  turned  it  over,  held  it  up  to  the 
light,  said  "Nao  oitcndo"  (I  do  not  understand  it),  and  handed 
it  back  to  me,  saying  he  would  not  deprive  me  of  it.  When, 
however,  I tendered  a request  to  see  the  celebrated  church 
and  cave,  he  brightened  up,  and  replied,  “ Pois  nao"  (cer- 
tainly), “but  enter  and  have  some  dinn-^r  first;  it  is  just 
ready.” 

I at  once  took  kindly  to  that  clerical  Portugee,  and  enter- 
ing his  sanctum  behind  his  odorous  store,  he  proceeded  to 
clear  out  a pig,  some  fowls,  some  black  and  whitey-brown 
naked  children,  and  black  and  whitey-brown  women  ; he 
dusted  a very  dusty  stool,  and  cleared  a space  on  a table 
littered  with  miscellaneous  articles. 

“ Don’t  make  any  ceremony,”  said  he  ; “ sit  down  and  be 
at  your  ease.” 

A greasy,  garlic-flavoured  repast,  accompanied  by  a bottle 
of  restillo,  duly  appeared,  followed  by  coffee.  Afterwards  we 
proceeded  to  the  cave.® 

A sharp  ramp,  paved  with  limestone  flags,  leads  from  the 
street  up  the  side  of  the  face  of  the  cliff,  and  terminates  in  a 
flight  of  limestone  steps.  This  brought  us  to  a landing  in  front 
of  the  opening  to  the  cave,  paved  with  square  tiles,  and  sur- 

* Drawers. 

« This  vicarge  must  be  a rather  desirable  living,  for  the  predecessor  of 
the  present  vicar  retired  to  Portugal  with  a respectable  fortune,  and  1 was 
told  that  mine  host  arrived  here  pc  no  chdo,”  i e.  barefooted,  but  since 
then  he  has  remitted  considerable  sums  to  his  native  town. 


38 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


rounded  by  a balustrade  and  six  pillars  of  whitewashed 
limestone.  The  entrance  is  closed  by  double  doors,  opened 
by  means  of  a ponderous  key  my  host  carried.  A few  paces 
brought  us  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  cave,  that  turns 
sharply  to  the  right,  parallel  with  the  face  of  the  rock, 
so  that  the  second  opening  that  is  noticeable  from 
the  outside  serves  to  admit  daylight  through  its  glazed 
window  on  to  the  altar  at  the  further  extremity  of  the  cave. 
The  dingy  cave  is  about  lOO  feet  long  by  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  feet  high,  and  varies  in  width  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet. 
Over  the  altar  the  stone  roof  is  faced  by  arched  panels  of 
wood  moulded  painted  and  gilded.  On  the  wall  above  the 
altar  is  the  tawdrily-painted  but  miraculous  crucifix  of 
Sho  Bom  Jezus  da  Lapa ; below  it  is  a figure  of  the  Virgin 
and  child.  There  are  also  two  minor  akars  in  niches,  one  on 
each  side,  with  figures  of  saints  of  minor  local  importance.  A 
massive  silver  lamp  hangs  from  the  roof  in  front  of  the  altar. 

With  the  further  exception  of  a wooden  balustrade  enclo- 
sure near  the  entrance  for  the  use  of  a choir,  and  the  white- 
washed rock  walls,  all  the  rest  of  the  cave  is  as  Nature 
constructed  it.  On  one  side  of  the  cave  are  suspended 
numerous  wax  models  of  arm.s,  legs,  heads,  feet,  breasts,  &c., 
that  represent  the  wonderfully  miraculous  cures  of  accidents 
and  diseases  made  by  the  saint.  Many  framed  certificates 
and  descriptions  testify  to  miracles  that  could  not  be 
modelled. 

This  cave  is  the  Mecca  of  the  Sao  Francisco : it  is  holy 
throughout ; the  soil  of  the  floor,  the  dust  of  the  wall,  po.s.sess 
extraordinary  virtues,  and  are  used  as  specifics  for  most  of 
the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  No  boats  pass  the  shrine  without 
leaving  an  offering,  and  the  country  people  make  long  and 
distant  pilgrimages  to  propitiate  the  favour  of  the  saint, 
or  to  return  thanks  for  imaginary  conferred  blessings. 

Tradition  states  that  a woman  in  search  of  a missing  child 
had  found  him  leaning  out  of  the  window  of  the  cave  so  far 
that  he  fell  out,  and  would  have  been  dashed  to  pieces,  but 


39 


Sag  Bom  Jezus  da  Lata. 

fortunately  she  had  time  to  ejaculate,  “ Nosso  Senhor  da 
Lapa  me  ajude  1"  (Our  Lord  of  the  cave  help  me!).  The 
child  alighted  as  lightly  as  a descending  hydraulic  lift  when 
the  conductor  pulls  the  rope. 

The  saint  is  remarkably  well  provided  for,  being  the  owner 
of  several  fazendas  and  numerous  fat  slaves.  I was  directed 
where  to  place  my  gift  to  the  church,  which  was  temporarily 
taken  possession  of  by  my  guide. 

A walkthrough  the  hamlet  showed  that  it  has  considerably 
increased  in  size  and  importance  since  Captain  Burton  visited 
it,  as  the  greater  part  of  the  thatched  huts  were  new,  and 
several  more  were  in  process  of  construction  The  Padro 
stated  that  the  population  comprised  about  1500  souls,  but  I 
imagine  that  half  that  quantity  would  be  an  outside  number. 

There  were  numerous  little  vendas  and  “ grog  ” shops, 
evidently  showing  that  at  Festival  time  high  jinks  are 
played  here,  as  undoubtedly  is  the  case.  There  is  com- 
paratively little  business  done  except  with  the  passing 
boatmen,  who  would  not  dare  to  pass  the  shrine  without  a 
visit,  a gift,  and  frequently  a carousal  in  the  village,  in  honour 
of  the  saint. 

After  our  walk  we  discus.sed  a bottle  of  English  pale  ale  in 
the  Padre’s  bar-parlour,  and  I parted  from  my,  if  rather 
uncouth  and  grubby,  yet  kind-hearted  and  good-natured 
clerical  friend. 

On  arriving  at  the  boat,  I there  found  only  Manoel,  the 
piloto,  looking  very  glum. 

“ Where  are  the  men  I inquire. 

“ Oh  1 they  have  been  to  see  Nosso  Senhor,  and  they  will 
be  sure  to  get  bebido  (drunk).” 

“ How  can  that  make  them  bebido?” 

” Why,  they  will  go  to  the  village  and  drink  vianipoeira.”  ■ 

“ We’.l,  go  and  hunt  them  up.” 

In  a few  minutes  he  returned  with  the  crew  and  Bob  in  his 
charge.  An  odour  of  cacha^a,  frequent  eructations,  and 
" Manipoeira,  a local  slang  term  for  cacha^a. 


40 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


imbecilic  smiles  evidenced  their  potations  ; however,  they 
were  quiet  and  could  keep  their  legs,  so  we  prepared  to 
pole  off. 

At  that  moment  a moleqiie  came  alongside  with  a box 
on  his  head  ; he  hurried  up,  and  handed  me  the  contents, 
six  bottles  of  pale  ale,  saying  o Scniior  Padre,  que 
ina)idou  ” (It  is  the  Senhor  Padre  that  sent  it).  It  was  very 
kind,  bat  I could  not  spare  time  to  return  to  thank  him,  so  I 
sent  him  a note  expressing  a /a  Brasdieu”  ) “my  great 
estimation  of  his  noble  character.” 

It  was  laborious  work  beating  out  to  an  offing  against  the 
strong  currents,  and  tree,  hut,  bush,  and  fence  obstructed 
water,  but  one  does  not  “ cross  country  ’’  on  a raft  every 
day. 

The  ground  at  the  base  of  the  rock  receives  the  full  force 
of  the  current  of  the  river,  and  forms  a little  bay  and  eddy. 
It  is  a popular  belief  on  the  upper  river,  that  any  present  to 
the  saint  that  is  there  thrown  into  the  stream,  will  be  carried 
down  and  landed  at  the  Lapa.  The  position  of  the  bay  and 
its  eddies  may  well  retain  fora  long  time  any  floating  matter, 
that  superstition  would  easily  attribute  to  the  saint’s  mira- 
culous influence  and  powers  of  attraction. 

For  some  distance  down  the  river  the  margins  were  indi- 
cated by  a perfect  archipelago  of  islands,  on  which  were  many 
rofas  and  habitations,  many  of  the  latter  deserted  on  account 
of  the  floods. 

The  barometer  showed  signs  of  an  approaching  “ temporal  ” 
(scpiall),  and  I informed  the  piloto  that  the  instrument  indi- 
cated bad  weather,  and  directed  him  to  find  a safe  port  of 
refuge.  He  expressed  his  astonishment  thereat  by  .saying, 
“ O que  bixinho ! De  veras  estes  inglezes  teui  coisas  exqui- 
sitas.  Ai  inco  Deos.”  (O  what  a creature!  Truly  these 
English  have  strange  things  ! Ah  ! m.eo  Deos).  It  was  fully 
two  miles  down-stream  before  we  found  ourselves  in  a little 
cove,  formed  by  the  mouth  of  a stream,  with  a ro^a  on  each 
of  its  banks. 


A “ Dirty  ” Night. 


41 


The  atmosphere  was  hot  and  sultry,  and  the  sky  was 
rapidly  becoming  overcast  with  dcnsely-black  clouds,  and  all 
the  indications  of  a wild  night.  Mosquitos  also  found  us  out, 
and  bit  and  stung  us  with  the  extra  venom  they  appear  to 
possess  before  a storm  ; but  we  could  not  venture  out  into 
the  darkening  waters  in  the  face  of  the  coming  storm.  A 
sudden  and  violent  gust  of  wind  from  the  north,  a few  big 
drops  of  rain,  a crash  of  thunder,  followed  by  a vivid  flash — a 
pause — an  inten.se  stillness — the  darkness  blacker — fromdown- 
stream  a mass  of  grey  mist  and  cloud  advances,  and  envelopes 
and  blots  from  the  view  the  banks  and  river.  Suddenly, 
with  a howl,  the  wind  and  rain  strike  us  with  such  force  that 
our  craft  rolls  violently.  How  the  wind  screamed,  and  the 
rain  beat  pitilessly;  the  thunder  crashed  in  grand  volumes  of 
sound  ; truly,  in  the  gathering  darkness  of  night,  it  was  a 
pandemonium. 

The  ruddy  flickering  light  of  the  camp-fire  on  a bank  under 
the  lee  of  some  trees,  the  dark  figures  of  the  men  passing  to  and 
fro,  added  to  the  weirdness  of  the  scene  of  gloom  and  hurly- 
burly.  But  the  mosquitos,  although  every  gust  of  wind  blew 
them  away,  returned ' in  dense  clouds.  There  was  nothing 
weird  about  that ; one  can  enjoy,  even  if  in  discomfort,  a 
properly-developed  storm  and  its  accompanying  turmoil  and 
majesty  of  sound  and  force  ; but  mosquitos  disturb  one’s 
meditations  so,  and  on  that  particular  night  I would  back 
the  most  Christian  and  peaceably-disposed  human  being  to 
develop  such  energy  and  vengeance  in  his  slaps  that  he  pre- 
viously was  unaware  existed  in  his  constitution,  let  alone 
expressing  himself  in  forcible  language,  even  to  naughty  and 
prohibited  words.  The  Portuguese  language  is  relieving  up  to 
a certain  point ; but  its  expressions  become  monotonous  to 
an  Englishman  by  constant  repetition,  and  hard  expres- 
sive Anglo-Saxon  is  necessary  to  meet  the  continued  tor- 
ments of  .such  a night  of  mo.squitos.  As  to  the  mosquito-net, 
it  seemed  more  like  a trap  to  keep  them  in,  rather  than  fulfil 
its  purpose  of  keeping  them  out. 


42 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


The  full  violence  of  the  storm  soon  exhausted  itself,  but 
the  night  still  continued  too  “ dirty  ” to  allow  us  to  venture 
to  sea  ; it  was  only  in  the  early  hours  of  morning,  with  chilled 
feet,  smarting  limbs,  and  heated  aching  head,  that  we  were 
enabled  with  safety  to  sail  away. 

What  a relief  to  get  away  from  those  diabolical  insects, 
and  breathe  the  fresh  but  damp  air  of  the  early  dark  misty 
morning. 

I turned  in,  oblivious  of  banks,  or  shoals,  or  scenery,  feeling 
an  all-absorbing  sense  of  satisfaction  that  my  torment  was 
over.  It  is  a pity  Dante  did  not  know  the  Sao  Francisco  in 
the  rainy  season,  as  a circle  of  everlasting  mosquitos  would 
have  been  much  more  tantalizing  than  his  ovens  and  other 
pleasant  inventions  for  “ making  things  hot  ” for  poor 
humanity. 

Captain  Burton  should  congratulate  himself  upon  having 
chosen  another  season  of  the  year,  whereby  he  avoided  the 
horrible  nights  of  misery  we  had  to  undergo,  forcing  us  on 
more  than  one  occasion  to  travel  all  night,  and  take  our  chance 
of  .snags  in  the  starlighted  waters ; otherwise  those  night- 
voyages  were  delightful,  drifting  lazily  down  the  stream, 
turning  slowly  round  and  round  in  mid-channel,  awake  and 
watchful  for  hidden  dangers,  for  a collision  with,  or  grounding 
upon,  any  submerged  obstacle,  would  probably  have  canted 
the  raft,  filled  the  canoes  with  water,  and  then  to  the  bottom, 
or  take  our  chance  of  a long  long  swim  in  the  hurrying 
flood  to  the  distant  shore.  However,  fortune  and  weather 
favoured  us  ; and  truly  pleasant  it  was  to  lay  extended  in  the 
stern  of  one  of  the  canoes,  and  listen  to  the  pilot’s  yarns  of 
the  river  traditions,  a continuous  monotone,  accompanied  by 
the  voices  of  the  men  singing  the  river-songs,  the  ripple  and 
swash  of  the  waters,  and  the  sough  of  the  passing  breeze  ; and 
the  dimly-seen  distant  horizon,  partially  obscured  by  flitting 
clouds  of  mist  under  the  dark  vault  of  the  star-studded  night ; 
the  cool  damp  air,  the  surrounding  stillness  and  darkness, 
created  an  indefinable  charm,  that,  with  a fillip  of  danger  to 


The  Island  of  Fear.  43 

g^ivc  it  piquancy,  rendered  sleep  not  only  undesirable,  but 
unsought  for. 

In  the  early  morning  we  passed  Sitio  de  Matto,  a small 
village  of  scattered  houses  built  on  the  summit  of  a high 
bluff : this  is  one  of  the  sites  for  the  capital  of  the  long- 
proposed  new  Province  of  Silo  Francisco  ; the  other  sites 
proposed  are  Januaria,  Pom  Jardim,  Urubii,  Cidade  de  Barra, 
Xique-Xique,  and  Joazeiro. 

From  its  central  position,  high  elevation,  and  other  circum- 
stances, Bom  Jardim  presents  the  most  favourable  features. 
Cidade  de  Barra  is  commercially  well  situated,  but  its  low 
situation,  subject  to  great  inundations,  should  prohibit  its 
selection  ; but  its  powerful  and  influential  .son,  the  Conservative 
Senator,  the  Bar.'io  de  Cotegipe,  Manoel  Mauricio  Vanderley, 
probably  e.xercises  his  power  to  prevent  the  formation  of 
the  new  province,  unless  his  native  town  is  made  the  capital. 
It  is  now  many  years  since  this  project  was  first  mooted,  and 
even  now,  at  the  time  this  volume  is  being  written,  nothing 
has  yet  been  decided. 

The  “////«  de  Medo"  (Island  of  Fear),  pa.ssed  this  morning, 
is  an  historical  reminiscence  of  colonial  times  ; the  piloto  told 
me  that  tradition  says  it  and  the  adjoining  country  was 
formerly  occupied  by  a race  of  Indians,®  who  levied  tribute 
upon,  or  massacred,  all  passing  travellers,  like  the  old  German 
Barons  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Now  there  are  only  peaceful 
rocas,  and  anything  but  warlike  inhabitants. 

During  the  morning  I shot  two  beautiful  white  herons 
(^^arcias),  and  on  the  banks  I noticed  several  spoonbills,  a 
not  uncommon  bird  here. 

In  the  afternoon,  about  5 p.m.,  we  reached  Urubii,  a town 
of  some  3000  inhabitants  and  three  churches.  The  town 
lays  back  from  the  river,  separated  from  it  by  a low,  marshy 
plain,  then  all  but  inundated.  A gentle  rise  brings  one  to 
the  Rua  da  Conceicao,  a long  street  parallel  to  the  river;  some 
of  the  houses  are  fairly  good  and  even  pretentious,  and 

* The  Tupinamba  Indians,  now  extinct. 


44 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


certainly  the  best  yet  seen  on  the  riverside  ; the  other  habita- 
tions comprise  the  usual  adobe  houses,  palm-frond  huts,  railed 
compounds  and  rude  gardens.  The  long  silent  streets  were 
almost  as  quiet  as  the  “City”  on  a Sunday,  but  my  advent 
was  the  signal  for  the  expected  appearance  at  doors  and 
windows  of  giggling  women  and  silent  lounging  men  ; boys 
and  girls  rushed  here  and  there  to  get  a better  view,  like  boys 
in  London  at  sight  of  a crowd,  and  rushing  along  inquire 
“ what’s  up.” 

On  entering  a venda,  my  appearance  created  as  much  com- 
motion amongst  the  town  politicians  there  assembled,  as  if 
I had  been  a tame  elephant,  or  similar  curiosity.  The  Juiz 
de  Direito  and  Delegado  were  at  their  fazendas,  but  I was 
shown  a “ casa  nohre  ” close  by  as  the  residence  of  the  Senhor 
Commandante  Coronel,  and  informed  in  a voce  voice 

that  he  was  “wha pessoa  graiuia,"  “ muito  rico  ” and  “ mnito  im- 
portante!'  I resolved  to  “ coinprimentar  ” this  evidently  “ big 
man  ” of  the  town.  Accordingly  I entered  his  open  entrance- 
door  and  clapped  my  hands. 

A nasal  voice  responded,  “ Quern  dV'  (Who  is  it  ?) 

“ Sen  criado"  (Your  servant),  I reply,  in  orthodox  fashion. 

Again  is  the  unknown  nasal  voice  heard,  “ Quern  c?" 

This  time  I reply,  “ Gente  de  ford"  (meaning  really  a stranger). 

A slipshod  old  negro  woman,  nationally  half-undressed, 
opened  the  door  and  blinked  at  me  half-scowlingly,  half- 
wonderingly. 

“ O Senhor  Coronel^  esta  em  casa?"  (Is  the  Senor  Colonel 
at  home  .?)  I inquire. 

“ 'N’hor  sim.”  ® 

“ Tell  him  that  ' um  homen  de  fora'  (a  stranger)  wishes  to 
see  him.” 

I awaited  patiently  in  the  brick-pave^d  entrance  for  some 
minutes,  until  a stentorian  voice  calls  out  from  the  summit  of 
some  stair.s,  “ Quern  d ? ” 

I reply,  “ De  fora?' 

“ Abbreviation  of  senhor  sim,  or  sini  senhor — yes,  sir.  Pronounce  cen- 
y or  see. 


A Local  Magnate. 


45 


“ Siiba  ” (come  up),  is  the  reply  of  the  voice. 

I ascend  the  stairs  and  meet  a robust,  middle-aged,  white 
man,  a Brazilian  gentleman  in  appearance.  I inquire  if  I 
have  the  honour  of  addressing  the  “ Coroncl.” 

“ Your  servant,”  is  the  reply,  accompanied  with  a bow. 

I hand  my  card,  and  briefly  explain  that,  being  a foreigner 
and  a passing  traveller,  I had  taken  the  opportunity  of  calling 
upon  one  of  the  most  distinguished  residents  of  the  “ bdra  de 
Rio"  (river-side). 

He  put  up  a pincc-nez  and  looked  at  my  card,  and  eyed 
my  travel-stained  appearance  from  head  to  foot. 

“ Come  in  and  join  us  at  dinner ; we  are  just  sitting  down.” 

I apologized  for  my  rough  appearance. 

'' Nao  fara  ceremonia"  (do  not  stand  upon  ceremony)  is 
the  hospitable  answer,  and  immediately  I am  ushered  into  the 
presence  of  his  family  circle. 

I found  myself  once  again  in  civilized  society ; a good- 
looking  white  girl  of  twenty  years,  dressed  in  white  muslin, 
her  black  hair  decorated  with  the  sweet  angclico  (Cape  jessa- 
mine), received  me  courteously ; two  young  medicos  from 
Bahia  lately  "formado"  (graduated),  more  superciliously. 
My  rough  appearance  and  the  plebeian  ajojo,  of  whose  arrival 
they  had  doubtless  already  heard,  did  not  constitute,  in  their  es- 
timation, the  dignity  compatible  with  a "^doutor."'^  After  a while 

'*  Young  Brazil,  as  a student,  often  passes  a wild  dissipated  life  like 
any  other  students,  but  when  he  obtains  his  degree  and  assumes  his  gown 
he  becomes  at  once  “ um  homen  serio  ” (a  respectable  serious  member 
of  society),  and  a great  advocate  of  form  and  ceremony,  chimney-pots, 
and  black  frockcoats,  &c.  I remember  in  after  years,  when  I was 
carrj'ing  out  the  works  for  the  Dom  Pedro  Segundo  Railway  in  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  I had  designed  some  extensive  warehouses  of  brick,  for  which  I 
was  anxious  to  utilize  some  excellent  bricks  manufactured  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, but  as  good  bricklayers  were  scarce,  I had  to  go  to  work 
myself,  with  coat  off  and  shirt-sleeves  rolled  up,  to  initiate  unskilled 
workmen  into  good  bricklayers.  I noticed  that  my  young  assis- 
tants, newly  fledged,  or  formado  ” Brazilian  engineers,  evidently  thought 
that  I had  lost  caste  by  such  manual  labour;  they  promptly  dropped 
the  senJior  dojitor,  and  I became  thenceforward  simply  Senhor  JFess. 


46 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


however,  their  assumed  artificial  gloss  wore  off,  and  they  be- 
came more  amiable,  and  finally  offered  me  “ Best  Bristol  Bird’s- 
eye  ” tobacco.  The  “ CoroneV’  was  evidently  satisfied  with  my 
respectability,  as  he  insisted  upon  my  remaining  at  his  house 
for  the  night.  Thoughts  of  the  mosquitos  and  the  prevailing 
damp  dews  of  night  did  not  require  much  pressing  to  induce 
me  to  accept  his  hospitality.  A hammock  was  placed  at  my 
disposal,  but  when  I turned  in,  I found  I had  made  no  grand 
exchange,  for  mosquitos  were  plentiful,  and  in  a hammock, 
whatever  position  one  may  assume,  there  must  necessarily  be 
some  protuberant  part  of  the  body  over  which  the  mosquitos 
have  “ grand  old  times,”  the  thickness  of  the  hammock-cloth, 
a sheet  and  pyjamas  are  trifling  obstacles  to  their  prospecting 
operations.  In  such  conditions  one  feels  afterwards  as  if  he 
had  been  swathed  in  a mustard  poultice. 

I learned  afterwards  that  the  “ Coronel”  is  accredited  with 
the  possession  of  a hundred  contos  of  reis  (say  io,ood/.),  a 
rarely-met-with  capital  in  the  inland  provinces  of  Brazil, 
which  one  can  quite  understand,  as  the  possessor  of  such  a 
sum  would  most  likely  find  his  way  to  more  luxurious  centres, 
where  at  least  some  value  can  be  reaped  by  the  benefits 
(questionable,  if  you  like)  of  the  civilized  coast  cities, 

February  14. — The  country  side  bordering  the  river  to-day 
presented  a considerable  change  to  the  upper  river-side,  for 
here  the  land  shows  quite  a rugged  mountainous  appear- 
ance. Down-stream,  the  valley  winds  its  way  in  serpentine 
curves  between  projecting  buttresses  of  hills  that  appear 
in  the  distance  to  dovetail  into  each  other.  On  either  hand 
are  seen  hills  upon  hills  ; some,  long  unbroken  ridges  covered 
with  cerrado  ; others,  huge  rounded  hills  covered  with  forest ; 
so  elevated,  indeed,  is  the  land,  that  it  reminded  me  of  the 
mountainous  coast  between  Cape  Frio  and  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
The  day  was  most  brilliant  and  hot,  the  thermometer  register- 
ing 88°  under  the  awning  of  the  state-room.  Not  a breatli 
of  air  ruffled  the  glassy  surface  of  the  water,  it  was  like 
moving  over  a sheet  of  quicksilver.  We  passed  many  places 


The  Carnamura  Palm. 


47 


where  the  banks  were  high  and  far  better  adapted  for  town- 
ships than  most  of  the  existing  settlements.  I noticed  for  the 
first  time  the  wonderfully  useful  Carnahuba  palm  {Copcrnicia 
ccrifcra  of  Martius)  ; probably  there  is  no  other  product  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom  that  offers  such  a variety  of  useful 
purposes  as  this  elegant  palm.  Although  this  tree,  like  most 
other  Brazilian  products,  has  been  fully  noticed  and  described 
by  many  travellers,  I cannot  but  help  mentioning  some  of 
its  qualities. 

It  resists  intense  and  protracted  droughts,  and  is  always 
green  and  vigorous  ; it  produces  an  equivalent  to  sarsaparilla  ; 
a nutritious  vegetable,  like  cabbage  ; wine  ; vinegar  ; a sac- 
charine substance ; a starch,  resembling  and  equivalent  to 
sago  ; other  substances  resemble,  or  by  processes  are  made  to 
substitute,  maizena,  coffee,  cork,  wax,  salt,  alkali,  and  cocoa- 
nut  milk  ; and  from  its  various  materials  are  manufactured, 
wax-candles,  soap,  mats,  hats,  musical  instruments,  water- 
tubes,  pumps,  ropes  and  cords,  stakes  for  fences,  timber  for 
joists,  rafters  and  other  materials  for  building  purposes, 
strong  and  light  fibres  which  acquire  a beautiful  lustre,  and 
in  times  of  great  drought  it  has  supplied  food  for  the  starving 
inhabitants.  This  palm  is  justly  considered  the  most  valuable 
production  of  the  Sertiio. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Bom  Jardim,  200  miles 
from  Carinhanha,  where  I landed  amongst  a little  fleet  of 
canoes,  ajojos,  and  barcas.  The  arrial  or  village  is  admirably 
situated  on  the  summit  of  high  ground  that  slopes  to  the 
water’s  edge,  and  consists  of  a long  street  parallel  to  the 
course  of  the  river,  on  one  side  the  rear  of  the  houses  faces 
the  water,  and  their  railed  and  fenced-in  compounds  extend 
to  the  river-banks.  The  lower  portions  were  then  flooded 
from  the  then  unusually  high  water.  The  highest  flood 
known  only  slightly  submerged  the  south  end  of  the  street. 

A young  friend  of  the  *■  Coronet"  at  Urubti,  to  whom  I 
had  given  a lift  to  this  place,  introduced  me  to  the  village 
schoolmaster,  who  kindly  offered  me  a vacant  room  in  his 


48  On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 

house  to  sling  my  hammock  and  perhaps  escape  the 
mosquitos. 

A pleasant  breeze  was  blowing  and  made  my  stroll  through 
the  village  the  more  enjoyable  after  the  cramped  space  of 
the  ajojo,  and  the  close  heat  of  the  long  day.  It  is  a bright 
little  place,  the  houses  are  gay  with  colour,  and  each  one  has 
its  own  garden  of  fruit-trees  and  flowers  ; the  people  appeared 
to  be  more  industrious  and  prosperous,  and  looked  much 
healthier  than  is  usually  the  case  on  the  river-side. 

The  distant  possibility  of  the  Bahia  Central  Railway  making 
its  terminus  here,  unlimited  space  for  building,  higher  ground 
in  the  neighbourhood  for  those  requiring  a change  of  climate, 
admirable  facilities  for  river-side  wharves,  a central  position 
for  the  trade  of  the  interior,  and  its  comparatively  healthy 
climate,  all  point  to  a probable  flourishing  future  for  Bom 
Jardim. 

We  were  away  before  the  first  glimmer  of  dawn,  paddling 
down  mid-stream  in  the  misty  damp  air  of  early  morning. 

All  this  morning  the  scenery  we  passed  through  was 
exceptionally  charming,  especially  the  fine  range  of  hills, 
called  the  Serra  de  Pinxahyn,  and  its  many  ramifications,  all 
densely  wooded,  and  offering  excellent  localities  for  healthy 
settlements. 

A long  journey  of  sixty-four  miles  brought  us  at  sunset 
to  Morro  de  Para,  a small  poverty  ague-stricken  hamlet  of 
about  twenty  houses,  situated  at  the  base  of  a large  solitary 
hill.  The  houses  are  built  of  adobe  and  thatched  with 
carnahuba  palm-leaves.  The  place  looked  dark  and  dreary, 
and  from  its  low  swampy  situation,  arose  a close  fetid  atmo- 
sphere, clouds  of  mosquitos,  and  the  rank  smell  peculiar  to 
rotting  vegetation,  altogether  very  suggestive  of  malaria  and 
chills,  but  having  landed  I determined  to  inspect  the  place. 

On  passing  by  an  open  rancho,  where  a number  of  men 
were  pI<'iy''''S  cards,  I was  invited  to  join  their  circle  ; at  the 
same  time,  in  a half-maudlin  state,  they  advanced  towards 
me  and  insisted  upon  a loving  embrace.  “ Venha  ca,  Sai/tor 


An  Adventure, 


49 


Branco,  e jogar  ton  tiqninho  com  marimpS"  (Come  here, 
Senhor  Whiteman,  and  play  a little  at  matimpo).  I con- 
fessed my  ignorance,  but  in  vain  ; I was  surrounded  by  my 
convivial  friends,  who  were  considerably  “ screwed,”  and  as  I 
attempted  to  proceed  onwards,  a leering  brawny  mulatto, 
clad  in  a coarse  shirt,  drawers,  and  leather  hat,  placed  himself 
in  my  way.  Whilst  hesitating  whether  to  show  my  revolver, 
or  trip-up  my' lurching  opponent,  and  possibly' have  a struggle 
in  the  darkness  with  the  unknown  inhabitants,  or  else  to 
make  a dash  for  the  ajojo,  some  500  yards  away' — a grizzled, 
grey'-bearded  light  mulatto  man  joined  the  group,  now  loudly 
vociferating  that  “ I was  going  to  study  marimpo."  The 
stranger  took  in  the  situation  at  a glance,  and  beckoning  to 
me  to  follow,  partly'  by'  persuasion,  coaxing,  and  a little  firm 
force,  succeeded  in  extricating  me  from  the  circle  of  carousers, 
odorous  with  coarse  spirits  and  the  catinqa  de  negro  ; pro- 
bably' no  harm  was  intended  by  them,  but  the  drunken 
countryman  {matnto)  is  at  best  a reckless  dangerous  fellow. 

My  companion  told  me  that  they  were  an  idle  set  of 
gamblers  and  horse-stealers,  who  made  this  place  their  head- 
quarters, and  advised  me  to  get  away  at  once  as  they'  were 
intoxicated  and  reckless,  and  might  at  any'  moment  regret 
having  allowed  my  departure.  JMy'  good  friend  told  me  he 
was  a “ shoemaker  by'  trade,”  and  owned  a ro9a  close  by, 
which  sensed  to  support  his  family,  otherwise  he  would  gladly 
leave  this  den  of  thieves  ; he  further  informed  me  that  he 
was  very'  fond  of  geographia,  and,  really,  the  old  fellow 
possessed  a limited  and  crude  idea  of  other  lands  besides  his 
own  rarely'  possessed  ev'en  by  better  educated  men  in  the 
country. 

I found  the  ajojo  rolling  on  the  wavelets  beating  on  the 
shore,  caused  by'  a fresh  breeze  from  the  south,  and  the  men 
heaping  imprecations  on  the  my  riads  of  mosquitos  that  sur- 
rounded them.  Being  a fine  moonlight  night,  we  pushed 
off  into  mid-stream  and  hoisted  sail. 

The  voyage  in  the  cool  of  the  night,  and  on  the  sparkling 
VOL.  II. 


E 


50 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco, 


moonlit  waters,  was  really  enjoyable  ; such  a change  from  the 
muddy,  fetid  banks  of  Morro  de  Para,  and  its  rowdy  village. 
The  wind  bore  us  along  gaily  and  made  the  water  ripple  as 
the  heavy  craft  rode  over  the  waves.  The  men  seemed  to  feel 
the  soothing  influence  of  the  scene,  for  they  sang  in  low 
voices  many  of  their  river  songs,  one  expressing  jiow  his 
absence  was  deplored  by  the  fair  ones  of  up  and  down  river, 
and  that  he  was  only  “ humbugged  ” by  the  mother  of  his 
especial  darling. 

Rio  arriba  e rio  abaixo, 

Todo  o mundo  me  chorou. 

So  foi  a mae  de  minha  benzinha, 

Que  me  enganou. 

After  a time  the  men  dropped  off  to  sleep,  all  but  the  pilot, 
who  kept  a watchful  look-out  for  snags.  I did  not  turn  in  until 
the  early  morning,  for  although  this  kind  of  voyaging  at  night 
is  very  pleasant,  yet  our  fragile  craft  w'as  not  safe  enough  to 
turn  in  regardless  of  a possible  spill. 

February  i6. — By  daybreak  it  was  found  that  we  had 
travelled  twenty-four  miles  in  the  night,  although  in  the  last 
few  hours  the  wind  had  dropped,  and  we  had  then  simply 
drifted  down  stream  with  the  current.  Soon  after  daybreak 
we  landed  at  a river-side  cattle-station,  to  procure  milk,  eggs, 
fowls,  and  vegetables.  The  owner,  a huge  creole  negro 
vaqueiro  (herdsman),  received  us  with  blunt  heartiness,  and  at 
once  provided  me  with  five  bottles  of  milk  and  some  two 
dozen  eggs  and  some  sweet  potatoes,  for  which  he  would  receive 
no  payment,  except  “ uma pingazinha para  mataro  bixo  ”(a  little 
“tot”  of  cac/ia<}a  to  kill  the  worm).  His  home  was  a bright 
little  place,  the  adobe-walled  hut,  thatched  with  palm-leaves, 
was  in  good  repair,  and  its  interior  neat  and  tidy ; it  nestled 
amidst  orange  and  lernon-trec.s,  bananas,  and  the  rich  vege- 
tation of  the  river-side  ; in  front  of  the  hut,  a level  well  swept 
area  of  dark  red  soil  e.xtended  to  the  edge  of  the,  here,  lofty 
banks,  beyond  which  spread  out  the  broad  sky  reflected, ex- 
panse of  the  noble  river.  His  darkie  wife  and  grown-up  chil- 


The  War  of  the  Guimaraes.  51 

clrcn  were  comfortably  clad  and  looked  clean,  cheerful,  and 
healthy.  I’igs,  goats,  turkeys,  fowls,  horses,  and  cattle,  in  an 
adjoining  paddock,  added  to  the  homeliness  of  the  place. 
The  few  fowls  I bought  were  very  cheap,  320  rcis  each 
(about  8^/.). 

The  river-side  in  this  district  is  well  populated  ; the  banks 
show  many  labourers’  huts  and  farm  buildings,  many  of  the 
latter  look  neat  and  clean,  but  all  arc  of  the  simplest  and 
plainest  construction. 

There  are  many  talcs  extant  of  this  river-side,  talcs  of  the 
old  colonial  times,  and  of  family  feuds  and  battles.  At  Urubii, 
many  years  ago,  a terrible  struggle  occurred  between  two 
brothers,  the  Guimaraes,  causing  quite  a civil  war,  in  which 
the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  joined  one  side  or  the 
other.  The  town  of  Urubu  itself  was  besieged,  the  churches 
and  other  buildings  yet  present  the  bullet-marks  and  other 
traces  of  the  struggle.  It  became  eventually  a Kilkenny  cat 
business,  for  the  two  brothers  e.xtcrminated  not  only  all  their 
family,  their  father,  mother,  sisters,  and  other  brothers,  but 
were  themselves  eventually  destroyed.  As  many  as  2000 
combatants  are  reported  to  have  taken  part  in  some  of  the 
battles.  For  a long  time  it  created  a great  anarchy,  and  was 
only  finally  stopped  by  the  government  sending  troops  to 
quell  the  disturbance.  It  is  spoken  of  as  the  Guerra  dos 
Guimaraes  (the  war  of  the  Guimaraes).* 

Towards  mid-day,  after  passing  by  flat  and  lovv-lyiiig 
country,  consisting  of  dense  bush  and  cerrado,  and  long 
stretches  of  flooded  swamps,  we  sighted  in  the  north-east  the 
Serra  do  Gentiho  running  north  and  south,  and  soon  after- 

* This  district  of  Urubu,  Xique-xique,  and  Joazeiro,  has  ever  been  one 
of  the  most  turbulent  centres  of  Brazil,  a political  volcano,  and  now  in 
the  present  year,  i886,  the  lower  reaches  of  the  river  are  infested  with 
bandits,  who  levy  contributions  upon  all  passing  river-craft,  so  much  so, 
that  much  of  the  traffic  between  Barra,  and  Joazeiro,  has  been  stopped. 
Police  were  sent  to  m.aintain  order,  but  the  officer  in  command  considered 
it  advisable  to  keep  out  of  danger  by  remaining  in  the  towns.  But  it  will 
probably  soon  again  resume  its  generally  peaceful  state. 

E 2 


52 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


wards  the  towers  and  roofs  of  the  churches,  and  the  white  and 
many-coloured  houses  of  the  Cidade  de  Barra. 

At  the  landin^T.place,  quite  a busy  noisy  scene  existed  ; 
there  were  large  and  small  barcas,  ajojos,  and  canoes  from 
both  up  and  down  the  river,  and  btn'iiy-irond  rafts  [balsas) 
from  the  Rio  Grande,  some  anchored,  some  on  the  muddy 
shore.  The  shore  was  strewn  with  old  canoes,  defunct  balsas, 
rubbish,  offal,  logs  of  timber,  &c.,  black  urnbus  and  gaunt 
black  pigs  feasted  on  the  garbage  and  refuse  of  the  city, 
freely  strewed  about  the  odorous  mud.  Black  washerwomen, 
with  their  ample  skirts  tucked  up,  stood  in  the  water  belabour- 
ing their  washing  with  sticks, or  banged  it  upon  flat  slabs,  or  else 
stood  with  their  hands  on  their  hips  chaffing  the  boatmen  of 
the  various  craft.  Men  were  squabbling  on  shore,  or  singing 
as  they  discharged  cargoes  from  barcas  and  ajojos,  others 
stood  about  driving  bargains,  and  loafers  squatted  on  the 
logs,  or  leaned  against  anything  that  would  support  them. 

The  landing-place,  like  most  of  these  riverside  settlements, 
is  the  exchange-mart  for  the  transaction  of  most  local 
business.  On  each  side  of  the  Porto  the  walled  compounds 
of  houses  back  on  to  the  banks  ; in  front  is  a small  open 
square,  containing  a few  stores,  facing  the  river. 

On  landing  and  picking  my  way  amidst  the  garbage  and 
mud,  and  up  a gentle  ramp  of  hard  clay  and  sand,  I found 
myself  a stranger,  and  without  any  useful  letters  of  introduction, 
in  the  city  of  Barra  do  Rio  Grande." 

From  the  little  square  in  which  I found  my.sclf,  streets  lead 
away  right  and  left,  parallel  to  the  banks  of  the  river.  On 
the  left,  the  street  consists  of  the  open  shops  and  stores  of 
various  trades  and  vendas  ; on  the  right,  the  hou.scsarc  chiefly 
private  dwellings  ; this  latter  part  terminates  in  a large  open 
square,  containing  the  more  superior  hou.scs,  and  the  new 
great  unfini.shed  church,  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  city,  and 

- It  was  created  a 7’iHa  (town)  by  resoluedo  rci^'a  (royal  resolution)  on 
the  I St  of  December,  1752,  and  became  tv'rfrfrfc  (city)  by  lei  rrovincial 
(Provincial  law)  on  the  i6lh  of  June,  1S73. 


At  Cidade  da  Barra. 


53 

that,  as  Captain  Burton  justly  says,  makes  the  city  appear  like 
an  annexe  to  its  matrix. 

There  being  no  signs  of  a hospedaria  or  ’otcl  anywhere, 
I wended  my  way  to  a dry-goods  store  in  front  of  the  Porto 
to  make  inquiries.  I found  there  a plcasant-looking  Portu- 
guese, reposing  on  his  counter,  and  killing  time  by  ki'ling 
flics.  He  could  not  direct  me  to  any  place  where  I might 
find  accommodation,  but  kindly  took  pity  upon  my  homeless 
state,  and  frankly  offered  me  the  hospitality  of  his  abode ; 
and  learning  that  he  was  a bachelor,  and  there  being  no 
fear  of  dreadful  Brazilian  enfans  terribles,  I gladly  accepted  his 
kind  offer. 

In  taking  a walk  through  the  city,  it  presents  but  a mean 
appearance  ; the  streets  arc  long  irregular  and  sandy,  there 
are  a few  pretentious  hou.scs  with  glazed  windows,  and  front 
walls  faced  with  Portuguese  glazed  square  tiles,  and  a brick 
trottoir,  where  the  inmates  place  their  rocking-chairs  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening  to  enjoy  its  plca.sant  temperature,  or 
receive  a visit  from  a neighbour  ; but  the  greater  part  of  the 
houses  are  of  white  or  colour-washed  adobe  walls  ; others  in 
the  suburbs  are  more  homely  still,  mere  huts  of  sticks  plastered 
with  clay,  and  roofs  of  grass. 

In  the  compounds  of  the  hou.scs  arc  many  fruit  and 
flower  trees,  both  much  subjected  to  the  destructive  ravages 
of  the  great  leaf-carrying  Sauba  ant  p near  the  north  square, 
and  at  the  west  end  of  the  city,  the  bush  and  trees  mingle 
with  the  houses  and  border  the  thoroughfare ; otherwise, 
the  sandy  dust  of  the  streets,  the  glare  of  the  white  houses 
and  walls  make  one’s  eyes  blink  with  the  blaze  of  reflected 
light. 

There  is  considerable  movement  in  the  streets,  but  confined 
to  pedestrians,  for  rarely  is  seen  a bullock-cart ; carriages  arc  as 
absent  from  this  city  as  in  any  negro  hamlet  in  the  centre  of 
Africa.  Among  the  wayfarers,  black  brown  and  yellow 
complexions  predominate  ; the  whites  are  chiefly  the  traders 
* Q^tcodoma  cephalotes. 


54 


Ox  THE  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


of  the  river,  the  planters,  shopkeepers,  and  the  local  public 
officials,  and  their  families. 

The  ground  occupied  by  the  city  is  practically  flat,  and  is 
situated  on  the  obtuse  angle  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
Rio  Grande  with  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  and  as  it  is  only 
seventeen  to  twenty-four  feet  above  ordinary  low-water  mark 
of  the  river,  and  as  extraordinary  floods  have  risen  to  thirty- 
six  feet  above  that  level,  it  may  easily  be  conceived  what 
disastrous  consequences  an  inundation  of  twelve  to  eighteen 
feet  of  water  over  the  whole  of  the  city  must  bring  ; and  how 
it  must  necessarily  prohibit  any  great  development  of  this 
otherwise  admirably  situated  city,  that  commands  the  exit 
of  480  miles  of  free  river  navigation  of  the  Rio  Grande  and 
its  tributaries,  besides  a considerable  carrying  trade  on  the 
Rio  Sao  Francisco. 

During  the  days  ensuing  my  arrival,  I prosecuted  inquiries 
as  to  my  intended  route  and  means  of  travelling  that  re- 
sulted in  forming  the  acquaintance  of  the  local  authorities 
and  notables,  all,  without  exception,  polished  well-educated 
Brazilian  gentlemen  : especially  must  I destacar  (stake  out), 
as  a Brazilian  would  say.  Dr.  Firmino  Lopes  de  Castro  the 
Municipal  Judge  and  the  editor  of  the  Echo  do  Rio  Sao 
Francisco  (a  small  weekly  of  two  sheets)  ; Dr.  Antonio 
Pereira  de  Castro,  the  Public  Prosecutor ; Capitao  F'ran- 
cisco  Antonio  Barbosa,  a trader  ; and  my  kind  host,  Senhor 
Emilio  Souza  Rodrigues  ; all  of  whom  rendered  me  invaluable 
assistance  in  procuring  information  and  means  of  travelling, 
but  of  the  Rio  do  Somno  and  Carolina  no  one  could  tell 
me  anything  ; they  were  not  only  terras  incognitas,  but  the  very 
names  were  unknown. 

Capitao  Barbosa,  who  had  already  made  several  journeys 
to  Goyaz  by  the  valleys  of  the  Rios  Grande  and  Preto,  re- 
commended to  me  a certain  Rodrigues  as  an  experienced 
muleteer,  and  who  would  contract  to  take  me  anywliere.  This 
individual,  who  lived  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  was 
sent  for  and  negotiations  entered  into. 


A Day’s  Shooting  on  the  Marshes. 


55 

He  was  a tall  full-bcardcd  white  man,  with  a good-looking 
and  pleasant,  if  rather  simple  face.  He  said  he  could  cal- 
culate the  distance  to  the  Tocantins,  although  he  had  never 
been  there,  nor  ever  heard  of  the  Somno,  or  Carolina  ; yet  he 
closed  a bargain  with  me  to  provide  mules  and  men,  sufficient 
to  transport  myself  and  my  effects  to  Carolina,  for  350$  ooo 
(then  about  35/.),  provisions  to  be  provided  by  myself.  The 
bargain  was  closed,  but  it  was  ten  days  after  my  arrival 
before  he  could  collect  his  animals  and  I could  get  away. 

In  the  meantime,  many  agreeable  days  were  passed  in  the 
pleasant  society  of  my  new  acquaintances,  and  before  my 
departure  a day’s  shooting  was  arranged.  Not  then  having  a 
gun,  I purchased  in  the  city  a light  thin  tube  of  Belgian 
manufacture,  about  the  size  of  a large  revolver  barrel ; it  was 
light  and  handy,  and  as  it  could  only  be  charged  with  a 
small  quantity  of  powder  and  shot,  it  was  not  likely  to  burst, 
or  perhaps  do  any  harm  to  any  flying  game. 

One  day,  with  the  first  glimpse  of  daylight,  our  party 
assembled,  eight  guns  in  all,  to  go  for  a cockney’s  day’s 
shooting,  to  shoot  what  we  might  find.  A walk  of  four 
miles  over  sandy  and  grassy  plains,  and  by  green  marshes 
bordered  by  reeds,  bushes,  and  palms,  brought  us  to  the 
wide  flat  shallow  morass  that  surrounds  the  city  and 
extends  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Sao  Francisco,  where 
we  separated.  The  marshes  were  full  of  brilliant  dragon-flies 
darting  from  reed  to  reed,  or  poising  in  mid-air,  and  noisy 
with  the  screamers  and  other  aquatic  birds  common  to  lakes 
and  swamps  in  Brazil,  but  they  were  all  very  wild  and  difficult 
to  approach,  and  having  no  dogs,  we  failed  to  secure  the  re- 
sults of  many  of  the  shots.  Probably  the  “ sport  ” would  have 
disgusted  a genuine  sportsman,  for  there  was  not  a decent 
gun  amongst  the  whole  party.  Each  one  stalked  his  game 
by  creeping  among  the  reeds  and  bush,  and  invariably  bagged 
his  bird  whilst  it  was  swimming  or  wading,  and  generally 
even  waited  for  it  to  remain  still. 

It  was  ver\-  hot  work,  the  sun  poured  down  its  rays  upon 


56 


On  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 


the  shadeless  flats,  and  glimmered  fiercely  upon  steaming 
lakes  and  swamps,  and  many  of  my  companions,  unused  to 
much  outdoor  exercise,  were  thoroughly  tired  out  when  we 
assembled  at  eleven  o’clock  under  a grove  of  trees  to  break- 
fast. There  our  attendants  had  put  up  hammocks  and  pre- 
pared a welcome  repast.  Everyone  soon  reduced  his  clothing 
to  a minimum  quantity,  and  several  collapsed  into  hammocks, 
or  on  the  grass,  thoroughly  prostrated  with  fatigue.  We 
were  accompanied  by  an  amusing  character,  a harmless 
lunatic,  calling  himself  “ General  Barbosa  he  had  once  been 
an  influential  trader  in  the  city,  but  meeting  with  disastrous 
losses,  the  consequent  trouble, shattered  his  reason.  Other- 
wise he  was  a hale  robust  old  man,  full  of  fun,  and  ex- 
tremely amusing ; his  weakness  was  in  imagining  himself 
some  great  and  wealthy  personage,  and  in  making  gifts  to 
his  friends  of  fabulous  sums.  He  was  a great  favourite  with 
the  townspeople,  and  charitably  well  cared  for  by  them. 

Later  on,  a few  more  hours  were  spent  in  perambulating 
the  marshy  lands — on  my  part  more  for  the  sake  of  exercise 
and  of  being  familiar  with  the  districts,  than  for  the  poor 
sport. 

Our  total  bag  amounted  to  nine  mareccas  (wild  duck), 
five  caruhunas  (grey  herons),  six  qucni-quem  and  four  ja^anas 
(screamers  and  ja^ana  parras),  eight  pombas  (pigeons),  and 
three  soccos  (bitterns)  ; thirty-five  birds  all  told. 

The  city  is  reported  to  contain  a population  of  4000  to 
5000  inhabitants,  and  judging  by  its  extent  I should  say  it 
has  quite  the'  latter  number.  It  carries  on  a considerable 
import  trade  of  articles  of  local  consumption  from  the  Rio 
Grande  districts,  and  exports  thence  in  return  the  merchan- 
dise it  receives  from  Bahia,  and  its  position  enables  it  to 
command  a considerable  carrying  trade  up  and  down  the 
river  ; but  there  is  very  little  exportation  to  the  coast  of 
national  produce,  as  the  long  overland  journey  to  Bahia  is 
too  expensive,  and  its  cost  leaves  little  or  no  margin  for  j)rofit 
to  the  producer. 


Temteuature. 


57 


During  my  ten  days’  stay  in  this  place,  much  rain  fell, 
generally  at  night,  in  the  form  of  squalls  and  thunder-showers, 
after  days  of  close,  sultry  heat.  The  thermometer  ranged 
from  8o°  to  86°  in  the  daytime,  falling  to  76°  at  night. 

When  Rodrigues  announced  his  readiness  to  depart,  I 
learned  that  an  empty  barca  w as  returning  up  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  so  took  the  opportunity  to  charter  it,  in  order  to  make 
personal  observations  of  the  river. 


58 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FROM  r.ARRA  DO  RIO  GRANDE  TO  BOQUEIRAO. 

Adeos — The  yacht — Intruders — A swampy  land — A night  in  a lagoon — 
A convenient  “explorer’s”  bed — Water-lilies — Difficult  navigation — 
Estreita  da  Serra — Hot  weather — A toilsome  progress — A river-scene 
— The  splendid  physique  of  the  boatmen — Patient  toilers — A tramp 
along  the  shore — An  uncouth  reception — A river  blocked  with  fish — 
Slow  travelling — On  mule-back  again — A jovial  companion — Boquei- 
rao — A picturesque  situation — A possible  future — A village  school- 
master— Indolence  of  the  Boqueiraoenses — A pleasant  evening — 
Navigation  of  the  Rio  Grande,  etc. 

February  26. — Many  of  my 
kind  friends  in  this  little  city 
of  kind  people  assembled  to 
wish  me  boa  viageui,"  and 
give  me  a final  embrace  and 
a pat  on  the  back.  “Adeos, 
Amigos!  Adeos,  Seiihor  D ou- 
ter!"  The  polcmcn  shout 
“ Vum  emborer''  {vamos  cm- 
bora,  “ let  us  be  off”)  as  we  glide  from  amidst  the  other  craft 
and  the  floating  rubbish  of  the  shore. 

The  men  impel  the slowly  along  amidst  the  numerous 
river-craft  and  keep  close  in  shore  out  of  the  strong  current 
of  the  stream.  We  pass  by  the  river-front  walls  of  thcj’ards 
and  gardens  (many  arc  flooded)  of  the  houses  of  the  water- 
street.  Scores  of  black  washerwomen  stand  in  the  water 
and  chatter,  giggle,  and  make  loud  observations  as  we  pass 


Mv  Yacht.  59 

onwards.  Little  naked  pot-bellied  piccaninies  skylark  in 
the  muddy  water  like  veritable  tadpoles. 

My  yacht,  (called  the  Villa  Pastoura,)  to  my  satisfaction, 
ofTers  a much  better  accommodation  than  the  plebeian  ajojo 
and  its  cramped  space.  Although  far  inferior  to  some  of  the 
large  gaudily-painted  harcas  of  the  Rio  Sao  Franci.sco,  yet 
it  contains  a roomy  saloon  si.x  feet  wide,  nine  feet  long,  and 
si.x  feet  high,  with  shuttered  windows  at  the  sides,  and  doors 
at  each  end.  The  sides  and  ends  are  constructed  of  boards, 
and  the  curved  roof  thatched  with  caruahuba  palm-leaves. 
Forwards  of  the  cabin  the  barca  is  undecked,  excepting  the 
narrow  tramp-way  that  e.xtends  from  stem  to  stern,  where 
the  men  pace  with  slow  and  laborious  strides  as  they  pole 
the  boat  up-stream  ; it  requires  sharp  work  to  haul  up  the 
poles  at  the  end  of  the  tramp,  hasten  back  to  the  bows  and 
get  the  poles  again  thrust  against  the  bottom  of  the  river, 
for  the  current  is  so  strong  that  headway  is  easily  lost. 

Shortly  after  starting,  the  barca  was  poled  alongside  the 
shore,  where  a coloured  man  and  a woman  came  aboard  carry- 
ing a guitar  and  a bundle,  and  straightway  proceeding  to  my 
cabin,  seated  themselves,  without  uttering  a word,  or  a by- 
your-lcave,  on  my  bed,  and  began  to  make  them.selves  com- 
fortable. I had  seen  in  my  travels  one  or  two  ca.ses  of 
unmitigated  impertinence,  but  none  equal  to  this.  I called 
the  piloto  and  inquired  of  him  if  I had  not  chartered  the 
barca  for  myself. 

“ Sun  Senhor,"  he  replied. 

“ What  do  you  mean,  then,  by  allowing  these  people  to  thus 
intrude  themselves  in  my  cabin  ? Send  them  away.” 

" N^ao  fazem  inal"  (They  won’t  do  any  harm);  “they  are 
only  passengers  going  up  the  river.” 

It  required  some  rough  words  and  some  hot  ones  before 
the  skipper  could  be  convinced  that  I really  objected  to 
share  the  cabin  with  other  passengers,  without  at  least  being 
consulted. 

With  assumed  innocence,  he  remarked,  “You  certainly 


6o 


Barra  to  Boqueirao, 


paid  so  much  money  for  the  hire  of  the  barca,  but  how  can 
it  matter  to  you  how  much  you  pay,  the  barca  is  empty,  and 
you  cannot  fill  it  all  up  yourself,  therefore  what  difference 
can  it  make  to  you,  if  I earn  a few  more  milreis  by  taking  a 
few  more  passengers  ? ” 

The  male  passenger  now  offered  to  retire,  but  pleaded  for 
a lift  by  saying,  “Ah ! Senhor  Capitao,  have  pity  on  a poor 
man  and  his  wife,  who  are  anxious  to  get  back  to  their  family 
and  their  ro9a  ; the  rice  is  all  ripe  and  wants  collecting,  and 
the  floods  will  soon  destroy  it  all  ; we  will  be  very  quiet, 
and  keep  in  the  bows  of  the  barca,  and  you  shall  not  be  in- 
convenienced.” 

The  man  had  a fairly  honest  face,  and  as  they  were  only 
going  a few  leagues,  I consented  to  their  occupying  the  bows. 
This  matter  had  not  been  long  settled,  and  we  had  proceeded 
but  a short  distance  on  our  way,  before  a canoe  came  along- 
side, and  the  crew  assisted  two  negro-women  to  come  aboard, 
who  also  marched  straight  into  my  cabin  ; despite  the  flowers 
in  their  wool,  their  smart  cotton  skirts,  gaudy  shawls,  and 
embroidered  chemises,  they  were  neither  young,  fair,  nor 
good-looking,  and  as  they  had  evidently  been  running  to 
catch  the  barca,  they  were  hot  and  perspiring,  and  emitted 
such  an  odour  as  only  two  stout  negro  ladies  can  produce  in 
favourable  conditions. 

Another  angry  discussion  with  the  piloto  naturally  ensued, 
wherein  I demanded  to  be  put  ashore,  for  I would  proceed 
no  further  ; excuses,  promises,  apologies  he  tried  in  vain,  and 
finally,  the  odorous  ladies  had  to  return  to  their  canoe,  freely 
expressing  their  opinion  that  I was  “ o diabo,"  and  “ um 
homen  brabo  e de  man  gen io"  (the  devil,  and  a fierce  and  evil- 
disposed  man).  Eventually  the  city  is  left  behind,  but  the 
progress  of  the  yacht  is  miserably  slow  ; on  many  occasions 
the  polemen  fail  to  reach  the  bottom  with  their  poles,  owing 
to  the  depth  of  water  even  close  in  shore,  where  they  have 
to  hold  on  to  the  bushes  of  the  submerged  banks  that  often 
sweep  the  roof  of  the  cabin. 


A Night  in  a Lagoon. 


6i 

As  far  as  one  can  discern,  the  adjoining  lands  appear  to 
be  a low-lying  level  plain,  covered  with  low  dense  bush,  and 
occasional  patches  of  open  country  with  many  shallow 
lagoons.  We  now  leave  the  strong  current  of  the  river,  pass 
over  the  submerged  banks  and  enter  one  of  these  lagoons, 
where  the  shallow  water,  and  the  imperceptible  current 
permits  good  progress  to  be  made  for  some  time,  until  the 
lagoon  narrows  to  a narrow  tortuous  channel,  thickly  ob- 
structed by  bushes,  that  require  the  use  of  axe  and  billhook 
to  clear  the  way. 

These  lagoons,  at  this  season  of  the  year  (February)  when 
the  river  is  in  flood,  follow  the  course  of  the  Rio  Grande  f.^r 
many  miles,  and  also  communicate  with  the  Rio  Sao  Fran- 
cisco at  the  rear  of  the  city  of  Barra,  making  its  situation 
practically  an  island. 

At  6 p.m.  the  barca  is  hauled  alongside  the  swampy 
margins  of  another  lagoon,  surrounded  by  low  bushes,  and 
anchored  for  the  night.  What  a place  to  pass  the  night  in  ! 
The  land  shows  hardly  any  perceptible  rise  from  the  water  ; 
its  sandy  surface  is  littered  with  the  rotting  twigs  and  fallen 
leaves  of  the  bushes,  and  saturated  by  a late  e.xtension  of  the 
waters  of  the  lagoon  ; a hot  humid  air  arises  from  the  sodden 
soil  laden  with  pestiferous  miasma  and  the  musty  odour  of 
decaying  vegetation. 

At  8 p.m.  the  thermometer  registered  88°  in  the  cabin. 
In  such  a situation  and  atmosphere  mosquitos  were  naturally 
plentiful,  but  the  mosquito-net  gave  relief  from  one  torment 
at  least,  but  the  cabin  was  very  suggestive  of  a vapour  bath. 

I now  found  the  benefit  of  a portable  camp-bed  I had  had 
made  in  Barra,  wdiich  is  so  exceptionally  convenient  that  I 
will  describe  it  for  the  benefit  of  future  travellers. 

Two  light  cedar-wood  boxes  \vere  made,  each  twenty- 
seven  inches  long,  sixteen  inches  wide,  eighteen  inches  high 
(the  cedar-wood  is  preferable,  as  it  is  strong  and  light,  and 
its  odour  keeps  away  white  ants  and  other  insect-)  ; over 
the  whole  of  the  boxes  a raw  wet  bullock-skin  was  tacked. 


62 


Barrvv  to  BoqueirIo. 


which,  as  soon  as  it  dries,  greatly  strengthens  the  trunks, 
and  renders  them  impervious  to  water.  At  the  two 
upper  front  corners  of  each  box,  iron  sockets  were 
screwed  to  receive  the  iron  hooks  at  the  ends  of  the  bars  of 
wood  that  form  the  side  of  the  bed.  The  bars  of  wood  are 
each  two  inches  wide,  two  and  a half  inches  deep,'  and  forty- 
six  inches  long  ; hooks  were  screwed  to  the  top  ends  of  the 
bars,  which  are  hooked  into  the  sockets  at  corners  of  bo.xes. 
A piece  of  good  stout  canvas  is  tacked  along  the  outer 
side  of  one  bar,  pulled  tight  over  the  upper  side,  and  secured 
by  tacks  to  the  outer  side  of  the  other  bar.  The  bed  is 
then  complete.  The  bars  can  be  removed  at  once  with  the 
canvas,  and  rolled  up,  forming  a parcel  forty-six  inches 
long  and  about  five  inches  diameter,  to  which  may  be  added 
rugs,  mackintosh  sheet,  and  an  air-pillow,  or  these  latter 
articles  may  be  stowed  in  the  trunks.  As  the  locks  should  be 
on  the  sides  of  the  trunks  that  face  each  other,  it  is  evident  that 
the  boxes  cannot  be  opened  without  turning  out  the  occupier 
of  the  bed.  A ring  is  also  screwed  to  the  ends  of  each  box, 
through  which  is  passed  a stout  raw  o.x-hide  rope ; that 
passing  under  the  boxes  the  looped  ends  serve  to  suspend 
the  trunks  to  the  pack-saddle. 

The  next  morning  the  first  lights  of  dawn  found  us  again 
working  a way  amongst  the  bushes,  where  the  brandies 
spring  in  our  faces  and  knock  off  hats,  and  the  brambles 
scratch  the  flesh  of  the  bare  chests  and  arms  of  the  pole- 
men  ; it  is  the  funniest  of  navigation.  The  story  of  the 
celebrated  American  flat-bottomed  boats  that  are  reported 
to  be  able  to  cross  country  on  a dewy  morning,  appears 
feasible,  when  one  looks  around  on  this  occasion  and  secs  the 
dense  bush  on  every  side,  as  though  we  were  carrying  a boat 
through  a flooded  wood  of  huge  gooseberry-bushes  and  other 
similar  vegetation. 

It  was  not  before  9 am.  that  Villa  Pastoura  emerged 
from  the  bush  into  the  open  waters  of  the  Kio  Grande, 
where,  in  addition  to  the  strong  current  of  the  stream. 


Tiik  Rivkr  rlockki)  with  Watkr  Lilies.  63 

another  difficulty  was  encountered,  for  the  whole  width  of  the 
river,  about  500  feet,  was  covered  with  a dense  impenetrable 
mass  of  floating'  water-lilies,  called  golfocs,  and  bearing 
numerous  beautiful  light-mauvc-coloured  flowers  ; the  mass 
was  being  carried  along  with  the  current,  and  extended  as 
far  up  and  down  the  river  as  the  range  of  vision  permitted  ; 
the  dense  mass  crushed  against  the  sides  of  the  barca,  and 
drove  it  again  into  the  bush,  to  which  we  held  on  for 
upwards  of  half  an  hour  ; no  abatement,  however,  being 
perceptible  in  the  quantity  or  force  of  the  drifting  vege- 
tation, we  were  obliged  to  again  take  to  the  bush  and 
lagoons.  ‘ 

One  hour’s  more  laborious  work  amongst  the  trees  found 
us  in  a long  lagoon  of  open  water,  up  which  the  brawny 

X 

polemen  sent  the  Vi//a  flying. 

In  all  these  margins  of  lakes  and  swamps  there  is  hardly 
any  animal  life  to  be  seen,  even  small  birds  are  rarely 
sighted  ; it  is  a huge  silent  watery  solitude. 

At  the  end  of  the  lagoon  the  barca  again  entered  the  river, 
where  the  plants  were  yet  numerous,  but  more  in  the  form 
of  detached  floating  islands  that  permitted  of  a passage  by 
keeping  close  in  shore,  where  even  so,  the  barca  received 
many  a scrunch  when  the  plants  piled  up  in  masses  around 
the  bows,  and  obliged  us  to  make  fast  with  might  and  main 
to  the  bushes  of  the  banks.  As  yet  no  banks  or  dry  land  were 
perceptible  from  the  river  ; only  the  tops  of  the  bushes  indi- 
cated the  whereabouts  of  the  submerged  margins  of  the  stream, 
but  about  six  miles  ahead  a blue  line  of  hills  was  visible,  with  a 
dip  in  the  centre  through  which  the  river  passes,  called  Estreita 
da  Serra  (the  strait  of  the  Serra). 

Towards  evening  a few  banks  of  higher  ground  appeared 
above  the  waters,  and  at  sunset  the  barca  was  hove  to  for 
the  night  at  Porto  da  Fazenda  de  Serrote,  a little  cove  and 
the  landing-place  of  a neighbouring  farm,  and  twenty  miles 
from  Barra. 

During  the  night  a few  mosquitos  serenaded  us  with 


64 


Barra  to  Boqueirao. 


their  little  bagpipes,  but  nowhere  in  those  flooded  lands  were 
they  so  troublesome  as  on  the  Rio  Siio  Francisco. 

The  day  had  been  very  oppressively  hot,  88°  in  the  shade  ; 
in  the  evening  the  temperature  dropped  to  8o°  at  8 p.m., 
still  quite  warm  enough. 

It  was  hard  laborious  work  next  morning  poling  up 
stream  ; the  water-lilies  still  floated  by  in  immense  quanti- 
ties, and  often  and  often  quite  barred  our  progress.  It  was 
not  until  breakfast  time,  9 a.m.,  that  the  Serra  noticed  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  previous  day  was  reached. 

The  open  window  of  the  saloon  formed  a frame  to  a 
picture  of  the  scene  outside.  There,  on  the  bo.‘>t)m  of  the 
river,  float  the  broad  flat  expanse  of  pale  dull  green  leaves, 
and  the  delicate  mauve-coloured  flowers  of  the  drifting 
masses  of  water-lilies,  here  and  there  dotted  with  the  dark 
red-brown  jacanas,  screaming  like  a kitten,  and  whose  light 
bodies  and  widely-expanded  long  toes  enable  them  to  easily 
run  over  the  surface  of  the  floating  vegetation  in  their 
quest  of  food.  Down  the  centre  of  the  revolving  masses 
of  plants  the  strong  current  of  the  stream  had  formed  a 
channel  of  open  water,  that  glitters  in  the  sunlight  like  a 
streak  of  burnished  gold.  Long  lines  of  thick  bushes  indi- 
cate the  margins  of  the  stream  ; at  their  rear  many  carna- 
huba  palms,  singly  and  in  groups,  rear  up  their  spiral 
stems,  often  covered  with  bromclias,  ferns,  and  climbing 
parasitic  vines.  Their  fan-like  leaves  rustle  and  scintillate 
with  many  a brilliant  gleam,  and  sparkle  as  the  passing 
breeze  sweeps  by.  Further  inland  a ridge  of  hills  forms  the 
background  ; their  gullies,  their  grassy  summits,  and  bush 
and  boulder-strewn  sides  are  minutely  delineated  in  the  full 
glare  of  the  morning  sun,  the  light  azure  sky  and  its  dazzling 
white  clouds. 

The  open  door  shows  a picture  of  a more  prosaic  character, 
an  untidy  dirty  but  picturesque  scene.  Reclining  in  the 
bows  are  the  four  semi-nude  figures  of  the  copper-colourcd 
stalwart  boatmen,  eating  their  breakfast  from  one  common 


Patiknt  Toilers. 


65 


huge  bowl  of  beans,  rice,  and  dried  beef.  They  are  splendidly 
made  fellows,  and  their  slightest  movement  shows  the  play 
cf  wiry  muscles  in  arms  and  chest ; the  sun  beats  on 
their  naked  bodies  as  heedlessly  as  upon  the  w-ater.  Near 
the  entrance  to  the  doorway,  on  the  floor  of  the  barca,  my 
cook  is  preparing  my  matutinal  repast  over  a fire  made  upon 
a half-barrel  of  sand  ; by  his  side  are  the  third-class  passengers 
(the  couple  who  came  aboard  at  Barra),  also  preparing  some 
mystic  messes  for  themselves  ; the  piloto  is  squatting  on 
his  heels  in  the  trampway  fishing,  but  not  a bite  rewards  him. 


Sunset  on  the  Rio  Grande. 


The  rest  of  the  day  was  consumed  in  poling  slowly  up 
stream,  until  the  water  becam.e  so  deep  that  no  bottom  could 
be  found,  that  necessitated  another  long  and  toilsome 
struggle  through  the  bush  to  a lagoon,  and  a halt  for  the 
night ; the  temperature  was  then  pleasant,  78°,  and  mosquitos 
absent.  The  day’s  voyage  consisted  of  nine  miles  only. 

The  noise  of  bushes  scraping  the  cabin,  as  we  toiled  again 
through  bush,  awakened  me  the  next  morning ; although  not 
more  than  about  200  yards  in  extent,  it  was  fully  two  hours 
before  we  were  out  of  the  jungle  and  again  on  the  river,  at 
last  comparatively  free  from  the  water  lilies. 

In  all  this  toilsome  voyage,  struggling  against  ever-recurring 
difficulties,  requiring  great  and  continued  labour  to  over- 
come them,  I could  not  but  help  a feeling  of  admiration  for  the 
VOL.  II.  F 


i 


V 


66 


Barra  to  Boqueirao. 


captain  and  crew,  as  they  toiled  long  and  patiently  at  their 
arduous  work  ; from  stewey  morn  to  stewey  eve  they  laboured, 
yet,  no  matter  how  difficult  the  obstacle,  or  great  the  dis- 
appointment caused  by  the  current  in  the  river  carrying  away 
the  craft,  and  losing  the  results  of  heavy  work,  not  a murmur 
was  heard,  not  a “ satanism  ” uttered,  they  worked  with  the 
patience  of  ants.  Evidently  they  had  long  been  accustomed 
to  the  labour  and  its  trials,  and  accepted  their  worries  as  in- 
evitable, and  to  be  borne  with  that  patience  that  all  troubles 
should  be  met  with. 

At  breakfast  time  we  stopped  at  Curral  das  Egoas,  the 
port  of  a small  fazenda  a little  inland  ; here  our  third-class 
passengers  left  us,  and  hearing  that  a path  accompanied  the 
river-side  to  another  small  farm,  four  miles  away,  I deter- 
mined to  walk  the  intervening  distance,  and  went  ashore  with 
Bob  and  Feroz. 

It  was  pleasant  to  thus  sii'etch  one’s  cramped  limbs,  but 
a deep  light  sandy  soil  made  walking  very  heavy  work. 
The  path  leads  through  the  shadeless  low  bushes  on  the  fetid 
margins  of  lagoons.  It  was  natural  to  expect  to  find  some 
duck  or  other  aquatic  birds  in  these  little-frequented  places, 
but  all  the  way  not  a feather  was  sighted.  These  inundated 
sandy  lands  are  but  great  dreary  solitudes  of  bush  and 
swamps,  where  the  air  is  close  hot  and  laden  with  exhala- 
tions ; the  vegetation  is  even  uninteresting,  no  flowers  or 
ferns  vary  the  monotony  of  the  thorny  bushes  and  scrub, 
there  are  no  parasites  or  llianas,  that  contribute  so  much  by 
their  beauty  to  render  impressive  any  scene  in  the  wilderness, 
no  matter  how  distant  or  unfrequented  it  may  be. 

Finally,  we  reached  Cait^ara,  our  destination,  a small  house 
with  adobe  walls  and  thatched  roof,  with  a curral,  or  cattlc- 
pen,  adjoining.  Some  women  at  the  door  had  sighted  our 
approach,  and  at  once  fled  indoors.  Consequently,  when 
we  arrived,  we  found  doors  and  windows  closed  and  barred.  I 
suppose  that  my  sun  helmet  stcTmps  me  at  once  as  a stranger 
and  a doubtful  party. 


An  Uncouth  Reception. 


67 


Whilst  we  were  seated  by  the  river-side,  awaiting  the 
approach  of  the  barca,  two  leather-clad  men  approached  us 
from  the  house,  and  came  shyly  forward.  Bob  asked  them 
if  they  had  any  fishing-lines  and  hooks.  They  made  no 
reply,  and  onlj'^  gazed  stolidly  and  silently  at  him.  On  his 
repeating  his  question,  they,  still  glaring  at  first  one,  then 
the  other  of  us,  abstractedly  replied,  “ Nao  entendo  sua  falla," 
(I  don’t  understand  your  talk.) 

To  gain  the  confidence  of  the  lower  type  of  Brazilian 
peasant,  it  is  necessary  to  address  them  in  their  own  patois 
and  local  expressions,  for  even  a native  like  Bob,  from  a dis- 
tant province,  is  liable  to  be  treated  as  a strange  being, 
even  though  the  various  provincialisms  are  very  slightly 
different  one  to  the  other.  Bob  laughed  at  them,  and  called 
them  ” (rough  ignorant  people).  They  remained 

for  some  time  silently  wonderingly  gazing  at  us,  and  making 
no  reply  to  our  questions  or  observations.  I do  not  suppose 
any  African  traveller  ever  met  such  uncouth  boorishness 
amongst  the  wild  negros  of  Africa. 

After  a long  period  of  steadfast  staring,  our  visitors  re- 
tired as  silently  as  they  came,  and  the  barca  soon  after 
arrived. 

Two  more  miles  up  the  river,  to  another  little  port  called 
Barreiros,  terminated  the  day. 

The  evening  was  spent  in  fishing,  and  a few  welcome  fish 
were  caught,  a little  shower  of  rain  apparently  making  them 
take  the  bait,  for  I had  tried  several  times  before  on  the 
voyage,  but  had  not  succeeded  in  obtaining  even  a nibble. 

The  piloto  gravely  informed  me  that  in  the  Rio  das  Ondas, 
an  affluent  of  the  upper  Rio  Grande,  the  fish  at  times  become 
so  plentiful  that  they  impede  navigation  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  is  difficult  for  a canoe  to  make  headway.  It  is 
curious  to  remark,  in  all  parts  of  Brazil,  how,  if  any  par- 
ticular locality  has  a reputation  for  anything,  for  gold, 
diamonds,  fevers,  game,  &c.,  its  merits,  or  demerits,  will  be 
spread  abroad,  and  immensely  magnified  and  distorted,  and 

F 2 


68 


Barra  to  Boqueirao. 


travellers  must  accept  all  information  of  distant  parts  with  a 
liberal  discount  for  such  exaggeration.  How  many  a time 
have  I been  misled  about  the  inooeenta  carssar  ( imiita  caca, 
heaps  of  game),  of  various  places,  and  have  gone  over  the 
ground  with  a gun,  only  to  return  with  an  insignificant  bag. 

At  night  the  thermometer  registered  85°  F.,  and  mosquitos 
were  on  the  war-path. 

March  2. — Temperature  at  sunrise  8i°.  I continued  my 
walk  along  the  river-side  path  in  the  early  morning;  the  soil 
is  everywhere  sandy,  but  much  firmer  than  on  the  previous 
day’s  walk.  The  country  shows  the  same  tame  appearance, 
bushes,  thorny  scrub  and  lagoons.  On  the  way  I managed 
to  bag  a brace  of  mareccas,  small  handsome  wild  duck,  and 
a gallinha-d' agoa  (coot).  A very  few  poor  straw  huts  with 
their  little  rogas  occasionally  border  the  roadside. 

The  rest  of  the  day  passed  hotly  and  slowly,  the  run  of 
the  yacht  being  only  ten  miles,  although  the  men  worked 
well  and  patiently. 

The  land  still  shows  much  the  same  character,  but  it  is 
more  elevated,  and  consequently  less  inundated.  The  halt 
for  the  night  was  at  Porteira,  a small  river-side  house,  forty 
miles  from  Barra. 

March  3. — I was  awakened  this  morning  by  the  piloto 
informing  me  that  Rodrigues  and  the  troop  were  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river  ; this  was  good  news  indeed,  and  I joyfully 
left  the  Villa  Pastura.  I cannot  recommend  a cruise  up  the 
Rio  Grande  in  flood  time  as  a means  of  rela.xation  from  the 
worries  of  business  ; in  fact,  if  the  tourist  is  not  well  provided 
with  an  ample  stock  of  patience,  he  had  better  secure 
some  comfortable  quarters  in  a lunatic  asylum  against  his 
return. 

I found  with  Rodrigues,  Capitao  P'rancisco  Antonio  Bar- 
bosa, who  was  on  a trading  c.xpedition  to  Goyaz,  with  a large 
troop  of  pack-mules  carrying  his  wares.  He  will  proceed  up 
.the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  cross  the  divide,  and  then  on 
to  Palma  and  the  Upper  Tocantins,  where  he  e.xchangcs  his 


On  Mule-dack  again.  69 

goods  for  hides,  and  for  the  gold,  and  gold-dust,  found  in 
those  regions. 

Leaving  my  baggage  with  the  Villa  Pastura,  to  be  carried 
on  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Preto,  I rode  on  with  the  Capitao 
and  my  troop. 

It  was  quite  a treat  to  be  once  again  across  my  old  pig- 
skin, and  to  feel  myself  once  more  jog,  jog  ; I felt  I had  got 
back  to  real  work  and  business  once  more. 

The  Capitao  was  an  excellent  companion,  full  of  anecdotes 
and  fun  ; his  round  jovial  face  is  sunburnt  and  bearded,  and 
pleasant  to  see,  his  laugh  is  hearty,  and  bluff  and  boisterous 
is  his  manner.  He  is  a powerfully-built  fellow,  but,  despite 
his  joviality,  there  is  a sharp  twinkle  in  his  eyes  that  makes 
one  feel  instinctively  that  it  would  be  better  to  have  him  as 
a friend  rather  than  a foe,  and  that  any  business  transactions 
had  better  be  avoided.  He  carried  in  one  of  his  holsters  a 
wonderful  twenty-chamber  revolver,  that  he  was  very  proud 
of,  an  old  weapon  of  Belgian  manufacture. 

About  mid-day  we  reached  Boqueirao,'  a small  hamlet  of 
twenty-five  wattle  and  dab  huts  and  houses,  surrounded  by 
bush  and  a few  fine  trees.  The  place  is  very  picturesquely 
situated  at  the  base  of  a range  of  hills  that  intersect  the 
course  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  extremities  of  the  hills 
terminate  on  each  side  of  the  river  in  easy  slopes  to  the 
edge  of  the  stream ; the  adjoining  margins  of  the  river 
are  flat  grassy  swards,  but  slightly  raised  above  the  level  of 
the  water.  The  surface  of  the  serra  is  comparatively  regular, 
and  thinly  covered  with  woods,  but  in  places  appear  huge 
boulders  of  rock,  a compact  gneiss,  veined  with  crystals  and 
white  quartz. 

These  hills,  about  300  or  400  feet  above  the  river,  consti- 
tute a continuation  of  the  Avatershed  of  the  Rio  Preto  and 
the  Paranagua  district  in  the  north,  and  extend  to  the  hilly 
country  below  Bom  Jardim  on  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  hamlet  are  extremely  poor,  and 
* Boqueirao,  a gap  or  pass  in  a mountain-range. 


Barra  to  Boqueirao. 


70 

appear  to  be  greatly  debilitated  by  the  effects  of  intermittent 
fevers  or  malcta,  evidently  mainly  fostered  by  their  poor  diet 
and  idle  dissolute  lives.  Yet,  despite  its  possible  insalubrity, 
the  admirable  situation  at  the  junction  of  the  navigable 
streams,  Rios  Grande  and  Preto,  must  necessarily,  in  the  course 
of  time,  have  a commercial  value.  However  distant  its  future 
may  be,  a time  will  be  when  its  waters  will  be  covered  with 
vessels  and  its  hilhsides  echo  to  the  sound  of  the  passing 
steamers.  The  banks  could  easily  furnish  natural  wharves, 
for  deep  quiet  water  is  always  found  alongside,  and  the 
stream  is  400  feet  wide. 

The  Capitfio  took  me  to  the  only  decent  house  in  the 
place,  that  of  the  schoolmaster,  Senhor  Rezende,  a good- 
looking  white  youth  from  Bahia,  but  whose  slight  figure  and 
melancholy  depressed  appearance,  formed  a great  contrast 
to  the  jovial  burly  Capitao.  The  inevitable  hammocks  were 
soon  brought  in  and  suspended,  and  served  both  as  chairs, 
sofa,  or  bed.  After  a short  stay  and  breakfast,  the  Capitao 
continued  his  journey  to  the  distant  Tocantins,  where,  in 
crossing  the  arid  table-lands  of  the  watershed  of  the  Sfio 
Francisco-Tocantins,  he  will  have  to  travel  for  days  over 
waterless  sandy  wastes,  probably  the  most  arid  section  of 
any  part  of  Brazil.  The  harca  arrived  soon  after  sunset. 

Senhor  Rezende  was  not  exhilarating  company.  He  said 
he  had  been  misinformed  in  Bahia,  or  at  least,  like  most  of 
the  Brazilians  on  the  coast,  he  had  no  conception  whatever 
of  the  nature  and  character  of  the  “Far  West”  of  Brazil. 
He  received  a small  pittance  from  Government  for  tcacliing 
the  children  of  the  neighbourhood  ; his  pupils  were  sallow 
wizened  listless-eyed  white  and  whitey-brown  children  of 
nine  to  twelve  years.  He  said  it  was  absolutely  impossible 
to  obtain  fresh  meat  unless  he  purchased  a calf  or  an  ox,  for 
his  neighbours  would  not,  or  could  not,  share  the  cost  with 
him,  and  he  alone  could  not  afford  it.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  the  young  fellow  was  melancholy  and  depressed  ; he 
had  spent  his  little  all  in  the  expenses  of  the  journey  from 


Boqueikao  and  its  Imiaditants.  71 

Bahia,  and  saw  no  gleam  of  hope  for  better  things  in  the 
future  before  him  ; his  neighbours  were  rude  uneducated 
matutos,  they  have  no  ambition,  no  “go”  in  them,  no  will 
or  desire  for  anything  but  to  sleep  away  their  days  and 
pass  their  nights  in  singing,  dancing,  and  revelry.  Money, 
they  rarely  see,  to  some,  it  is  almost  unknown  ; their  food  is 
farinha  and  river-fish,  varied  with  beans,  pumpkins,  yams, 
and  sweet  potatoes  ; possibly  a vegetarian  may  consider  this 
e.xcellcnt  food  for  the  tropics,  but  it  is  not  suited  to  a 
malarious  climate,  for  experience  shows  that  an  absence  of 
nitrogenous  food,  such  as  toucinho,  generates  a lowering  of  the 
vitality  and  prepares  the  body  for  readily  absorbing  malaria." 

Inhabitants  of  any  country  like  these  of  Boqueirao  are  as 
useless  as  if  they  did  not  e.xist,  they  have  nothing  to  sell,  or 
means  for  purchase ; their  little  labour  is  expended  in 
raising  a few  vegetables,  fishing,  and  in  building  a poor  hut, 
barely  sufficient  to  accommodate  them  ; it  is  never  repaired, 
and  when  the  rain  comes  in  in  one  part  of  the  roof,  the 
hammock  is  moved  to  another  corner,  until  finally,  when  the 
hut  decays  and  collapses  in  spite  of  props,  another  one  is 
built  alongside  it.  The  women  make  the  few  cotton  garments 
of  the  men,  that,  like  the  huts,  are  never  repaired,  and 
are  worn  until  the  rags  will  no  longer  hold  together. 
Yet  withal,  they  are  the  most  independent  of  all  peoples, 
proud  of  their  right  to  do  nothing,  and  they  do  it  most 
effectually. 

From  the  Barra  to  the  town  of  Campo  Largo  on  the  Rio 
Grande  there  is  180  miles  of  perfectly  free  navigation,  abso- 
lutely devoid  of  obstacles,  the  average  velocity  is  i~  mile  per 
hour,  minimum  depth  eleven  feet  in  the  dries.  At  Campo 
Largo  the  stream  is  325  feet  wide.  Beyond  this  place  the 
stream  is  navigable  for  yet  eighty  miles  to  the  village  of  Limo- 
eira,  but  it  is  troublesome  in  some  of  the  bends  of  the  river 
where  small  rapids  occur.  Above  Limoeira  rocks  commence, 

’ The  natives,  especially  the  poorer  classes,  are  much  more  subject  to 
the  intermittent  fevers  in  Brazil  than  newly- arrived  Europeans. 


72 


Barra  to  Boqueirao. 


and  not  even  canoes  can  pass  in  some  places.  Its  feeders  are 
the  Rio  Preto,  more  or  less  navigable  for  128  miles  as  far  as 
Formosa  ; the  Rio  Branco,  with  thirty-seven  miles  to  Jacare  ; 
and  the  Rio  das  Ondas,  with  eight  miles  ; consequently,  the 
Rio  Grande  and  its  feeders  contain  433  miles  of  navigable 
streams.* 

Between  Boqueirao  and  the  Barra  the  land  forms  a wide 
flat  sandy  and  swampy  plain,  where  the  soil  is  so  very  poor, 
that  only  coarse  hardy  varieties  of  thorns  and  bush  are  able 
to  withstand  the  droughts  of  the  dry  seasons  ; in  the  rains 
this  area  is  subject  to  widely-extending  inundations.  It 
must  consequently  long  remain  an  untenanted  waste.  There 
are  few  inhabitants  in  this  district,  and  those  only  occupy  the 
occasional  high  grounds  near  the  river.  I was  told  that, 
away  from  the  river,  the  inland  districts  are  practically 
uninhabited  and  pathless. 


^ These  notes  are  taken  from  surveys  made  by  M.  Halfield. 


UOQUEIRaO  to  SANTA  RITA. 


My  new  troop — 1 pass  as  anti-Cliristo — The  Rio  Preto — New  class  of 
country — A park-like  land — Marsh  birds — mid-day  halt — An 
accident — Tamandud — An  e.xquisite  evening  scene — Rodrigues  the 
tropeiro — (mod  times — A soap  tree — Estreita — A contented  and 
homely  family — Gallinha  d’Agua — A mandioca  mill — A batuque 
dance — A missing  mule — Countless  butterflies — A prosperous  people 
— Brazilian  homes — Santa  Rita — A hearty  reception — Productions  of 
Santa  Rita — The  street — Public  officials — Various  routes  to  Goyaz 
and  the  Tocantins — Dangers  and  difficulties  threaten — Finding  a 
strayed  mule — The  Santa  Ritanas — A wet  day  in  Santa  Rita. 


Jabiru-moleque  stork. 


Some  hours  of  the  next  morn- 
ing were  consumed  in  arrang- 
ing and  distributing  the  bag- 
gage between  the  pack-mules, 
altering  and  overhauling  the 
harness,  replacing  missing 
shoes  of  the  animals,  and  care- 
fully preparing  for  the  journey, 
and  a little  before  mid-day  we 
got  away. 

The  party  consisted  of  my- 
self, Rodrigues  the  tropeiro, 
and  Bob  the  cook,  all  mounted 
on  mules ; two  negro  lads 
accompanied  on  foot  to  drive 
the  four  baggage-mules,  and 
my  dog  Feroz  and  Rodrigues’  mongrel  Ferro,  completed  the 


74 


Boqueirao  to  Santa  Rita. 


troop,  and  of  course  the  monkey,  Donna  Chiquinha,  who  took  up 
her  accustomed  place  on  the  top  of  my  mule’s  head,  holding 
on  with  her  hands  to  his  long  ears.  The  mule  could  not 
understand  it  at  first,  but  he  soon  reconciled  himself  to  the 
situation. 

The  mules  were  small  but  strong  active  little  animals. 
One  carried  the  tent,  another  my  two  trunks  and  portable  bed, 
the  others  carried  the  provisions,  a few  clothes  of  Rodrigues 
and  of  the  men,  the  cooking  utensils,  and  a few  tins  of  powder 
and  shot. 

Rodrigues  told  me  of  an  amusing  incident  that  occurred 
when  he  passed  Cai9ara,  where  I had  waited  for  the  arrival  of 
the  barca  on  the  ist  inst.  He  had  stopped  at  the  house  to 
ask  for  a drink  of  milk,  but  as  the  tenants  were  all  vigorously 
rczando  (praying  in  a chanting  voice),  he  inquired  what  they 
were  praying  for,  as  it  was  not  a day  usually  devoted  to 
church  purposes  ; he  was  informed  that  a strange  white  man 
and  a coloured  man  had  passed  there  that  day,  and  that  the 
white  man,  who  looked  like  Anti-Christo,  was  coming  into  the 
country  to  make  slaves  of  the  people,  and  that  they  were 
praying  to  the  Nossa  Senhoraof  something  or  other  to  protect 
them  from  the  diabo  and  all  his  machinations.  Thus  I found 
I had  been  ungenerously  mistaken  for  the  “ old  gentleman,” 
though  what  I may  have  inadvertently  done  to  induce  them 
to  form  that  idea,  was  utterly  beyond  my  comprehension. 

Within  a mile  of  Boqueirao  is  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Preto 
(Black  River),  evidently  so  called  from  the  dark  appearance 
of  the  water  which,  nevertheless,  is  perfectly  clear  and  sweet  ; 
it  is  a slow-flowing  deep  stream,  about  l 50  to  200  feet  wide. 
As  soon  as  we  entered  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Preto,  the  aj)- 
pearance  of  the  country  became  vastly  different  to  the  low 
lands  of  the  lower  Rio  Grande  ; it  seemed  as  though  the  gap 
in  the  hills  at  Boqueirao  constituted  an  entrance  to  anotlicr 
land.  The  surface  is  yet  level  and  sandy,  and  shows  oc- 
casional scattered  shallow  pools  of  water,  but  the  ground 
is  covered  with  a delightfully  soft  green  sward  ; there 


The  Rio  Preto. 


75 

is  an  utter  absence  of  scrub,  and  detached  groups  of  trees 
and  palms,  encircled  with  beds  of  arums  and  other  flowers, 
dot  the  surface  of  the  grass  and  create  quite  a park-like  ap- 
pearance. The  river  meanders  in  serpentine  curves  through 
lawn-like  grounds,  its  waters  almost  flush  with  the  grass  ; no 
tangled  bush  or  wild  bramble  are  visible  to  mar  with  their 
rank  growth  the  neat  and  clean-looking  scene,  that  looks  as 
though  it  is  under  the  careful  charge  of  gardeners,  so  fresh 
and  free  from  disorder  does  it  appear  ; even  the  pools  of 
water  have  an  appearance  of  artificial  lakelets. 

3\way  to  the  right,  about  a mile  or  a little  more,  appear  the 
ridges  of  the  Boqueirao  range  of  hills,  that  gradually  recede 
from  sight  as  we  advance  up  the  valley,  otherwise  the  land 
appears  in  all  directions  to  be  practically  flat. 

Animal  life  is  also  abundant.  Parrots  and  hawks  screamed, 
flocks  of  parroquets  chattered  noisily  as  they  flew  in  clouds 
from  one  clump  of  trees  to  another,  and  as  we  rode  on  over 
the  level  firm  sand  and  soft  sward,  many  other  birds  came  in 
sight,  such  as  pearly-grey  ring-doves,  brown  wood-pigeons, 
and  numerous  small  brown  ground-doves  (ro/as),  and  in  some 
of  the  pretty  lakes  and  on  their  margins  of  grass,  reeds,  and 
aquatic  plants,  there  were  plenty  of  water-fowl,  viareccas 
(small  wild  duck),  gallinhas  d’agoa  (almost  similar  to  the 
Leicestershire  moor-hen,  Gallinula  C/iloropus),  numerous 
grey  and  black-striped  quem-quem,  emitting  a kitten-like  cry, 
and  the  common  screamingyhfrz7/rz  {Parra  Jaqaua),  common 
to  all  the  swamps  of  Brazil.  I noticed  also  a fine  socco  boi 
(bittern),'  standing  in  the  water  with  its  long  neck  stowed 
away  between  its  shoulders,  and  occasionally  uttering  boom- 
like notes.  We  soon  had  a capital  bag  of  doves  and  ducks, 
sufficient  for  dinner  and  breakfast  for  all  hands. 

At  two  p.m.,  as  the  heat  of  the  sun  was  very  great,  and  the 
mules  were  not  yet  in  proper  training,  a halt  was  made  by 
the  banks  of  the  Rio  Preto  ; a lawn-like  flat  sward  bordered 
the  water’s  edge,  ornamented  by  groups  ois\Gr\dcr  Burityrana 
‘ Ardea  exilis  (?). 


76 


Boqueirao  to  Santa  Rita. 


palms,  mirroring  their  graceful  outlines  of  stems  and  foliage 
in  the  smooth  clear  dark  water,  and  the  surrounding  vege- 
tation still  consisted  of  the  scattered  dense  clumps  of  trees. 
A plunge  and  swim  in  the  cool  water  was  particularly 
enjoyable,  but  in  coming  out,  I met  with  a disaster  by  strik- 
ing my  knee  against  the  spines  of  the  submerged  trunk 
of  a tree ; the  pain  for  several  m.oments  was  very  sharp 
from  the  effects  of  the  venomous  thorn,  my  knee  rapidly 
swelled,  but  an  outward  application  of  cachac^a  partially  allayed 
it,  and  eventually  I was  enabled  to  jog  on  again,  albeit  with 
a stiff  and  aching  joint. 

At  six  p.m.  we  reached  Tamandua,  a new  house  by  the 
riverside,  thirteen  miles  from  Boqueirao.  The  proprietor 
welcomed  us  warmly,  brought  coffee  and  milk,  and  gave  us 
a spare  room. 

As  the  shades  of  evening  approach,  the  scenery  near  the 
little  farm  becomes  exquisitely  soft  and  charming.  Around 
us,  and  extending  from  the  borders  of  the  rippling  river  to  far 
away,  is  a broad  expanse  of  bright  green  meadow  land,  dotted 
here  and  there  with  gleaming  lakelets,  some  bordered  by  many 
flowering  aquatic  plants,  others  by  groves  of  stately  trees  and 
delicate  palms  ; other  flower-encircled  thickets  form  isolated 
groups  out  in  the  open  plain,  or  on  the  margins  of  the  river 
mirror  their  forms  in  the  warm  sky-reflected  waters  and  form 
with  their  foliage  a tracery  against  the  clear  cloud Ic.ss  , sky, 
dark  blue  in  the  east,  a pearly  grey  in  the  west  ; great  shadows 
steal  softly  across  the  warm  toned  grassland  and  glistening 
waters,  birds  twitter  their  “good  night,”  or  harsh  screams 
sound  from  the  lakes,  as  some  water  fowl  rise  and  wend  their 
way  homewards  with  heavy  flight  ; a sweetly  odorous  and 
gentle  breeze  softly  rustles  and  sways  the  plumes  of  the  palms 
whose  burnished  leaves  shimmer  and  flash  with  the  .scintilla- 
tions of  diamonds  in  the  last  golden  ra)-.s  of  departing  day. 
What  colours  there  were,  and  how  vain  to  attempt  to  convey 
them  by  words  to  those  who  have  not  had  the  privilege  of 
witnessing  the  delicate  opal  tints  of  a soft  tropical  sunset. 

March  5. — Although  we  were  all  up  by  daybreak,  it  was 


Rodrigues  the  Tropeiro. 


77 


nearly  eight  a.m.  before  the  march  was  continued,  Rodrigues 
all  the  meanwhile  naggingat  his  lads  for  their  dilatoriness,  and 
calling  them  sons  of  various  animals.  He  might  have  saved 
himself  the  trouble,  however,  for  they  paid  not  the  slightest 
attention  to  his  “ Billingsgate,”  and  chatted  and  laughed, 
and  otherwise  joked  with  the  most  imperturbable  good 
humour,  that  made  the  old  man  furious  and  yellow  with 
disturbed  spleen.  He  is  rather  a nervous  irritable  old 
fellow,  and  I am  afraid  I shall  have  trouble  with  him  if  we 
meet  with  any  difficulties  in  our  march  through  Goyaz,  for  it 
is  no  use  worrying  over  trifles  in  a journey  through  Brazil. 
“ Pacienqa  ” is  the  motto  for  all  travellers,  and  even  residents, 
in  this  land  of  ever-recurring  vexations. 

The  ground  travelled  over  that  morning  still  continued  to 
present  its  flat  and  park-like  appearance.  The  road  tracks 
were  of  firm  dry  sand,  and  so  entirely  free  from  obstacles,  that 
travelling  was  quite  enjoyable.  On  the  way  some  more 
ducks  and  doves  were  bagged,  to  supply  an  excellent  break- 
fast at  the  mid-day  halt. 

After  a ride  of  twelve  miles,  we  rested  on  a mossy  bank 
under  the  spreading  branches  of  a huge  mimosa  by  the  river- 
side ; a welcome  rest,  as  my  leg  had  become  very  stiff  and 
painful,  otherwise  such  pleasant  picnic  scenes  were  delightful. 
Such  “real  good  times”  are  not  often  to  be  met  with  in 
roughing  it  in  Brazil.  We  had  everything  a traveller  could 
desire  ! fresh  water  alongside  the  road,  fine  weather,  excellent 
ground  to  travel  upon,  pasturage  for  the  animals,  plenty  of 
birds  on  the  way,  and  fi.sh  in  the  river. 

The  river  is  generally  bordered  by  great  numbers  of 
large  trees.  One  variety  produces  a fruit  like  the  prickly 
pod  of  the  castor-oil  plant;  another  supplies  a large  brown 
round  fruit,  about  the  size  of  a large  apple  ; the  first  yields 
more  oil  than  the  castor-oil  plant,  and  the  latter  ■ makes 
excellent  vegetable  soap. 

A long  hot  but  pleasant  ride  in  the  afternoon,  through 

* Sapindus  saponaria.  One  tree  will  produce  several  bushels  of  fruit 
that  contains  a great  quantity  of  saponaceous  matter. 


78 


Boqueirao  to  Santa  Rita. 


a houseless  open  flat  country,  by  small  belts  of  woods 
and  by  many  lakes  of  crystal  water,  found  us  by  sunset  at 
Estreita,  thirty-six  miles  from  Boqueirao,  a small  cattle 
station  by  the  side  of  a picturesque  wood,  and  close  to  the 
river.  The  farmer,  a simple-looking  leather-clad  man, 
offered  us  a spare  room,  and  supplied  us  with  milk,  eggs, 
cheeses,  and  fowls.  He  told  me  he  had  never  been  anywhere 
except  to  the  neighbouring  town  of  Santa  Rita,  twenty-eight 
miles  further  on,  and  that  journey  he  only  made  once  a year. 
He  had  no  conception  of  the  outside  world  ; to  him  Santa 
Rita  was  the  beau  ideal  of  a grand  city.  He  was  industrious 
and  well-to-do,  contented,  and  consequently  probably  as 
happy  as  any  mortal  can  expect  to  be  in  this  vale  of  tears. 
His  wife  was  a buxom  'hearty parda  (a  light-brown  mulatto), 
and  the  mother  of  seven  strapping  boys,  all  clad  in  leather 
suits,  and  who  assisted  their  father  in  his  work  of  cattle 
raising.  It  was  really  a picture  of  rural  felicity ; how 
different  to  the  wretched  people  of  the  lower  Rio  Grande, 
yet  not  one  member  of  the  family  had  the  faintest  concep- 
tion of  the  alphabet.  The  old  man  said  his  father  got  along 
very  well  without  reading  or  writing,  and  so  had  he  and  his 
old  woman,  and  he  did  not  see  why  his  sons  should  bother 
about  it. 

To  bring  ambition  and  discontent  into  such  a household 
would  be  an  unpardonable  wrong.  Like  all  these  country- 
men, good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  these  also  were  highly  religious, 
after  their  manner.  Many  gaudily-coloured  prints  of  saints 
were  nailed  to  the  whitewashed  walls,  and  at  one  end  of  their 
principal  room  was  a gaudily-dressed  doll,  with  an  enormous 
crown  of  tinsel  on  its  head,  and  representing  a “ Nossa 
Senhora”  of  something.  Around  the  image  hung  several 
strips  of  narrow  coloured  ribbon  that  had  been  blessed  by 
the  padre  of  Santa  Rita,  and  served  as  specifics  against  most 
diseases,  including  even  the  diabo  and  all  his  works. 

March  6. — The  morning’s  ride  cut  off  a long  bend  of  the 
river  of  six  or  eight  miles,  and  although  wc  thus  left  the 


A Mandioca  Mill. 


79 


immediate  margins  of  the  stream,  the  country  still  showed 
the  same  features  common  to  this  v^alley.  Occasionally 
through  some  of  the  more  open  lands  on  our  right,  glimpses 
could  be  obtained  of  the  distant  highlands  of  the  divide  of 
this  valley  and  the  sources  of  the  rivers  of  the  I’aranagua 
basin,  in  the  Province  of  Piauhy. 

At  sunset  we  reached  another  farm  at  Gallinha  d’Agua, 
fifty-six  miles  from  Boqueiruo.  The  place  was  charged  with 
the  unpleasant  odours  peculiar  . to  a mandioca  mill  and 
drying-pan,  and  generated  by  the  process  of  extracting  the 
prussic  acid  contained  in  the  roots.  The  smell,  like  that  of 
coarse  rancid  butter,  served  to  attract  a goodly  army  of 
bloodthirsty  mosquitos.  We  therefore  sought  and  found  a 
sweeter  camping-site  a little  further  on,  in  a grassy  well- 
watered  glade. 

In  the  evening  the  sounds  of  the  thrum-thrum  of  a viola 
(banjo)  coming  from  the  farm  close  by,  made  an  irresistible 
attraction  to  the  men,  who  promptly  disappeared  from  camp. 
Later  on,  Rodrigues  and  I wended  our  way  to  the  place  of 
revelry,  where  we  discovered  our  men  hard  at  work  in 
dancing  with  the  male  inmates  of  the  farm,  while  the  females 
crowded  the  doorways  and  peered  over  each  other  at  the 
dancers.  On  our  arrival  they  giggled  like  any  country  lasses, 
and  after  a whispered  consultation  they  made  a noisy  stam- 
pede indoors. 

These  dances  have  already  been  described,  with  the 
accompanying  wild  songs,  sung  in  high-pitched  notes,  rapidly 
uttered,  the  monotonous  thrum-thrum  of  the  violas,  and  the 
regular  beat  of  the  shuffling  or  stamping  feet.  But  we 
wanted  the  men  to  be  fresh  for  work  the  next  day,  so  they 
had  to  stop  their  “ divertimento  ” and  go  to  bed  in  the 
odorous  mosquito-infested  open  shed  of  the  mill,  but  their 
hides  are  tough,  and  I believe  that  mosquitos  die  poisoned 
when  they  bite  a perspiring  negro. 

March  7. — Our  intentions  were  good  to  get  away  early,  but 
alas  ! when  the  lads  arrived,  they  stated  that  two  mules  could 


8o 


Boqueir'vo  to  Santa  Rita. 


not  be  found.  Rodrigues,  after  screaming  out  a volley  of 
imprecations,  and  calling  the  boys  “ Cobras  d'  inftrnoC  &c., 
mounted  a mule  and  went  in  search  of  the  missing  ones. 
Long  hours  passed  by  in  waiting  for  him  until  about  mid- 
day, when  he  returned,  looking  very  much  dejected.  He 
could  find  no  news  of  the  lost  animals,  and  was  afraid  that 
they  had  been  stolen,  as  a noted  horse-stealer,  Joiio  da  Cruz, 
had  passed  by  on  the  previous  day. 

Tired  of  the  delay  of  waiting,  I pushed  on  to  Santa  Rita, 
sixteen  miles  away,  accompanied  by  Bob  and  one  baggage- 
mule. 

That  afternoon’s  ride  showed  a change  in  the  character  of 
the  country,  for  the  land  is  more  undulating  and  more  wooded, 
with  numerous  little  streams  and  shallow  lakes  in  the  hollows. 
Each  of  these  little  streams  and  lakes  was  the  resort  of  clouds 
of  countless  butterflies,  that  dotted  the  ground  like  the  daisies 
of  spring ; at  our  approach  they  rose  from  the  ground  in 
great  swarms,  fluttering  and  flashing  their  varied  colours  of 
dark-blue,  light-blue,  brown,  pink,  vermillion,  yellow  and 
white.  The  waters  of  the  lakes  were  also  teeming  and  noisy 
with  numerous  water-fowl  common  to  Brazilian  marshes,  all  of 
which  I have  already  mentioned  in  previous  chapters.  Many 
farms  and  habitations  were  passed  on  the  way.  Boa  Vista, 
Boca  de  Catinga,  and  others,  all  evidencing  a certain  air  of 
Brazilian  rural  prosperity  and  comfort. 

The  word  comfort  must,  however,  be  considered  relatively, 
for,  from  an  English  point  of  view,  such  a desirable  quality 
rarely  e.xists  amongst  the  Brazilians,  either  on  the  coa.st  or  in 
the  interior,  their  greatest  idea  of  comfort  being  to  revel  in 
extreme  dJs/iabille,  dressed  in  an  old  dressing-gown  (the  older 
it  is  the  better),  drawers,  and  slippers  down-at-heel,  and  swing 
in  a hammock  or  a rocking-chair  in  a verandah  ; around  dust 
and  disorder  may  reign  supreme  and  unregarded  ; to  be  able 
to  "ficar  a sen  gosto  ” (to  be  as  you  like)  is  the  desideratum  ; 
(and  yet  there  is  latent  wisdom  in  such  a taste,  for  the  stiff 
harness  of  grim  propriety  and  respectability  will  sometimes 


A Heartv  Reception.  8r 

make  a “ raw  ” on  those  of  us  who  have  been  privileged  to 
breathe  the  pure  and  untrammelled  atmosphere  of  uncon- 
ventionality, in  places  far  beyond  the  reach  of  Mrs.  Grundy 
and  chimney-pot  hats).  I do  not  apply  these  remarks  so 
much  to  the  fanciful  dwellings  of  the  rich  classes  of  the 
principal  coast  towns,  where  one  so  often  finds  a combination 
of  luxury  and  bad  taste  ; 1 refer  especially  to  farmers  and 
similar  classes  of  the  interior,  to  them  “ co.syness,”  “snug- 
ness,” are  une.xplainable  terms,  and  with  the  word  “ home  ” no 
words  exist  in  their  language  to  really  correspond  to  them. 

The  first  indication  of  the  approach  to  the  town  of  Santa 
Rita  is  a mud-walled  cemetery  by  the  side  of  a shallow 
lagoon  ; over  its  entrance  gateway  some  rude  attempts  at 
stone  ornamentation  appear ; then  the  large  edifice  of  the 
big  new  church  of  “ Rosario  de  Santa  Rita  ” comes  into  view, 
that  brings  us  to  a long  wide  tortuous  grass-grown  sandy 
street,  lined  by  houses  of  various  sizes  and  forms,  some  of 
wattle  and  dab,  others  are  more  pretentious  in  whitewashed 
walls,  coloured  doors  and  windows,  and  tiled  roofs. 

On  inquiring  for  the  residence  of  the  Promotor  Publico 
(public  prosecutor).  Dr.  Louis  Baptista  de  Souza,  to  whom  I 
had  brought  letters  of  introduction  from  my  friends  at  Barra, 

I was  directed  to  one  of  the  neatest  houses,  where  I found 
this  gentleman  asleep  in  a hammock,  clad  in  a dressing-gowm 
and  slippers.  On  his  awakening  and  finding  me  apologizing 
for  an  apparent  intrusion — (I  had  been  shown  into  the 
room  by  a negro  lad) — he  incontinently  disappeared  with  a 
" com  liceJisa”  and  my  letter  into  an  adjoining  apartment. 
Soon,  however,  he  returned,  dressed  in  the  latest  “ modo  da 
Bahia,'’  black  coat  and  vest,  white  trousers,  shirt,  collar,  and 
patent  shoes ; truly  it  was  an  unexpected  vision  in  this  semi- 
barbarous  sertCw.  He  received  me  with  a smile  and  a hearty 
welcome,  and  ordered  my  trunks  into  an  adjoining  bedroom. 
His  address  was  like  that  of  most  educated  Brazilians,  when 
they  choose  to  assume  it,  courteous  and  genial ; he  was  a 
good-looking  young  white  man,  about  twenty-six  years  of 

VOL.  II. 


G 


82 


Boqueirao  to  Santa  Rita. 


age,  his  clear  oval  face,  fine  dark  eyes,  well-formed  features, 
and  heavy  black  moustache  were  good  enough  to  serve  for  a 
typical  hero  of  a three-volume  novel.  His  brother,  Senhor 
Francisco,  soon  after  arrived,  and  made  himself  equally 
‘‘  chummey.”  My  coat  and  riding-boots  were  soon  removed 
by  orders  from  my  new  friends,  and  their  temporarily- 
assumed  war-paint  was  soon  re-exchanged  for  dressing-gowns 
and  slippers  ; the  same  comfortable  garments  were  brought 
for  my  use,  a hammock  was  slung  for  me,  a refresco  of 
cacha9a,  lemon,  sugar,  and  water  was  mixed  for  me,  and  I 
was  directed  to  " ficar  a meo  gosto”  (to  be  as  I liked),  and 
told  “ a casa  estd  a scos  ordens  ” (the  house  is  at  your  orders), 
and  that  they  hoped  I should  not  be  in  a hurry  to  leave. 

Thus  lounging  in  our  respective  hammocks,  we  chatted 
of  our  friends  in  Cidade  de  Barra,  my  intended  journcj'', 
its  purpose,  and  the  best  means  of  acquiring  information 
about  it. 

Truly  it  was  a plea.sant  lounge  after  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey,  and  to  meet  such  pleasant  fellows,  and  such  a 
frank  welcome  was  very  gratifying.  A bath,  and  then  a 
dinner,  with  once  again  a white  tablecloth,  made  one  feel 
quite  a Christian. 

The  town  consists  of  one  long  street  of  houses  and  huts, 
(parallel  with  the  course  of  the  river,)  and  a few  scattered 
huts  in  its  rear  on  the  land  side.  The  church,  like  nearly  all 
others  in  the  Sertao,  was  commenced  many  years  ago  on  a 
too  pretentious  scale,  both  in  size  and  style,  and,  as  a natural 
consequence,  its  completion  is  prevented  through  want  of 
funds. 

It  is  a big  bare  ugly  structure,  ninety-six  feet  by  sixty 
feet.  Its  walls  are  built  of  unplastercd  rubble,  its  roof  of 
tiles,  its  floor  of  brick,  and  its  tawdry  altar  is  resplendent 
with  tinsel,  gilt,  and  gaudy  cloths.  Althougli  it  is  conse- 
crated, and  services  are  held  within  its  precincts  every 
Sunday  and  Saint’s-day,  it  will  probably  be  many  many 
years  before  it  is  finished,  and  long  may  it  be,  for  such 


At  Santa  Rita. 


83 


wasteful  expenditure  cannot  be  otherwise  than  reprehensible 
in  such  a poverty-stricken  country  where  so  much  is  required 
for  the  common  weal. 

The  town  is  situated  at  a considerable  distance  from  the 
river,  and  separated  from  it  by  an  extensive  low  marshy  flat, 
crossed  by  a canal  that  leads  from  the  river  to  alongside 
the  rear  of  the  gardens  of  the  houses  on  the  south  side  of  the 
street. 

Alongside  the  natural  quays  of  the  canal  were  two  barcas 
and  three  balsas  (rafts)  loading  with  beans,  maize,  hides,  and 
rapadura,  for  exportation  to  Cidade  de  Barra.  The  presence 
of  these  craft  was  good  enough  proof  of  the  navigability  of 
the  Rio  Preto  thus  far. 

The  piloto  of  one  of  the  barcas  said  that  he  had  brought 
his  cargo  chiefly  from  Formosa,  up-stream,  a length  of  the 
river  that  is  fairly  navigable,  except  in  the  dries,  where  a 
few  pancadas  (small  rapids)  appear  in  places  below  that 
village. 

The  neighbourhood  produces  hides,  dried  beef,  maize, 
beans,  rice,  rapadura  (compressed  sugar  bricks),  and  farinha, 
but  cattle-breeding  is  the  chief  occupation. 

There  are  a few  fairly-stocked  stores  in  the  town,  where 
one  meets  Tennant’s  ale,  Huntley  and  Palmer’s  biscuits, 
Swedish  matches,  pyretic  saline,  American  and  French  patent 
medicines,  Birmingham  and  Sheffield  hardware,  Staffordshire 
china  ware,  and  ^lanchester’s  goods,  the  latter’s  cotton  prints 
and  shawls  being  gorgeous  with  the  brightest  colours  the 
printer  can  use,  and  the  prints  thick  with  starch  and  of  the 
poorest  materials. 

Although  there  is  an  appearance  of  comparative  prosperity 
in  the  little  town,  its  streets  are  as  dull  as  a small  English 
provincial  town  on  a rainy  day.  As  I glance  down  the  long 
street  I see  only  a pack-horse  waiting  hopeless  and  dejected 
at  a v’enda  door  for  its  master  ; another  is  coming  up  the 
street  with  a load  of  bananas,  maize,  and  rude  native  earthen- 
ware water-jugs,  followed  by  its  brown  master  m cotton  shirt. 


G 2 


84 


Boqueirao  to  Santa  Rita. 


drawers,  and  straw  hat  ; two  or  three  negro  women  in  bright 
red  or  blue  shawls,  gossiping  at  doorways  ; a few  male 
loungers  at  other  doors  ; a few  starving  mongrels  and  a stray' 
porker  ; a few  heads  leaning  out  of  the  windows,  and  a few 
women  squatting  on  doorsteps  making  the  pillow-laee. 

What  a place  of  despair  this  must  be  for  any  educated  man 
to  pass  the  best  day's  of  his  life  in,  men  like  my  friends  and 
the  Juiz  de  Direito  and  other  public  officials,  men  who 
have  no  hobby  to  occupy  their  attention,  no  interest  in  the 
surrounding  country',  either  as  botanists,  zoologists,  geolo- 
gists, or  artists  ; no  books  or  periodicals,  and  very  little  work 
to  do.  Their  lives  are  chiefly  passed  in  their  hammocks, 
sleeping,  smoking,  chatting  ; their  diversions  are  riding,  a 
little  shooting,  backgammon,  &c.  ; their  official  occupations, 
even  with  all  the  Brazilian  “ red  tape,”  occupy  but  a mere 
fraction  of  their  time.  Fortunately  for  them,  their  early 
associations  and  dispositions  enable  them  to  bear  with 
equanimity  a life  that,  to  a,n  active  European,  would  be 
intolerable. 

I called  upon  the  Juiz  de  Direito,^  Dr.  D , to  whom 

I delivered  a letter  of  introduction.  I found  this  gentleman  cn 
dcshabilld,  of  course  in  a hammock,  slung  in  a brick-paved 
front  room  furnished  with  a cane  sofa  and  the  inevitable  two 
cane  chairs  placed  at  right  angles  to  it  at  each  extremity',  a 
small  rug  in  front  of  the  sofa,  china  spittoons  on  the  floor,  a 
few  more  cane  chairs,  two  tables,  a few  glass  vases,  and  a 
small  library  of  legal  and  French  works.  The  doctor  was 
evidently  suffering  from  the  depressing  influences  of  his  mono- 
tonous life,  for  he  wearily  raised  himself,  and  y'awningly 
requested  me  to  be  seated  and  be  "a  sen  gosto  whilst  he 
perused  my  letter.  “ Sim  Senhor  ! anything  I can  do  for 
you  will  be  a pleasure;  I am  at  your  orders.”  Having  said 
which  he  relapsed  again  into  weariness  and  his  hammock, 
evidently  thinking  he  had  done  all  that  was  ncccs.sary.  In 
rc])ly  to  my  various  inquiries  for  information  on  various 
* Tlic  jiulvc  of  the  county  sessions. 


Various  Routes  to  Govaz,  85 

matters,  he  only  yawned  dismally,  and  said  he  knew  nothing 
about  them,  but  suggested  one  or  two  men  in  the 
town  who  might  inform  me.  I thought  it  best  to  relieve  the 
doctor  of  my  disturbing  presence  and  troublesome  uninterest- 
ing queries,  so  bid  him  adcos.  His  adeos  was  uttered  with 
an  evident  sigh  of  relief  at  my  departure. 

Eventually,  by  the  aid  of  my  two  friends,  I was  enabled 
to  glean  the  following.  A track  leads  from  Sta.  Rita  to 
Carolina,  through  the  provinces  of  Maranhao  and  Piauhy, 
but  is  rarely  travelled  over,  and  is  full  of  difficulties.  At 
twenty-eight  to  thirty  miles  from  the  town  it  ascends  the 
precipitous  slopes  of  a table-land,  known  as  the  Serra  do 
Tipy  (the  division  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio  I’reto  and  that  of 
the  rivers  of  Piauhy),  a branch  of  which  e.xtends  in  the  form 
of  a ridge  to  Boqueirao,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Preto.  This 
table-land  forms  part  of  the  Brazilian  north-eastern  watershed. 

A certain  Lieut.  Morae.s,  long  ago  conceived  the  idea  of 
forming  a canal  between  the  Rio  Preto  and  the  rivers  of  the 
Parangual  basin,  with  the  object  of  diminishing  the  effects 
of  the  great  droughts  that  often  occur  in  the  northern  pro- 
vinces, where  the  Government  have  lately  spent  some  .;^20,ooo 
in  abortive  attempts  to  construct  great  reservoirs  in  Ceara. 
The  cost  of  throwing  the  Rio  Preto  over  the  dividing  serras 
would  probably  be  sufficient  to  buy  up  all  Ceara. 

There  is  a good  road  up  the  Rio  Preto,  and  also  up  the 
Rio  Grande,  but  beyond  their  sources  there  is  a precipitous 
descent  to  the  lower  lands  in  the  province  of  Goyaz.  In 
both  cases  there  is  reported  to  be  a waterless  travessia  ^ across 
barren  sandy  gcracs,  or  table-lands,  for  two  days’  journe}’. 
The  Rio  do  Sapao,  a tributary  of  the  Preto,  was  unexplored, 
and  the  whereabouts  of  the  Rio  do'Somno  was  unknown. 
Not  to  fatigue  the  reader  with  my  reasonings,  eventually  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Sapiio  would  not  only 

^ This  word  is  derived  from  travessa,  a passage,  and  is  used  in  Brazil 
to  designate  a Journey  of  one  or  more  days  over  arid  lands,  devoid  of  water 
or  pasture. 


86 


Boqueirao  to  Santa  Rita. 


possibly  give  me  a good  pass  into  Goyaz,  but  be  a straighter 
direction,  and  would  probably  lead  into  the  valley  of  the 
Somno,  and  this  route  I determined  to  explore. 

Wandering  and  hostile  tapuias^  (Indians),  were  reported  to 
frequent  that  neighbourhood,  and  at  various  times  had  made 
attacks  on  the  homesteads  on  the  borders  of  the  unexplored 
districts.  When  my  determination  was  known  to  my  infor- 
mants, I was  strongly  dissuaded  from  undertaking  what  they 
called  a perilous  enterprise,  unless  accompanied  by  a large 
armed  escort  and  a baggage-train  of  provisions  and  water, 
otherwise  I must  perish.  My  informants  poured  forth  a veri- 
table chorus  of  the  many  dangers  and  risks  I must  necessarily 
incur.  Tapuias  brabas  (wild  Indians),  Quilombos  (outlaws 
and  runaway  slaves),  Bixos  (jaguars  and  vast  herds  of  fierce 
peccaries),  Sucurihus  (the  enormous  Brazilian  anaconda  boa) , 
starvation,  fevers,  and  impenetrable  forest,  or  impassable 
prairies,  mountains,  and  swamps.  I confess  it  was  about  as 
complete  an  epitome  of  all  the  possible  dangers  a traveller 
could  possibly  incur  in  Brazil.  As,  however,  my  informants 
had  no  actual  knowledge  on  which  to  base  their  fears,  the  dis- 
tricts being  utterly  unknown,  these  inconveniences  evidently 
only  existed  in  the  usual  fervid  imagination  that  the 
Brazilian  countryman  is  so  fond  of  forming  of  unfamiliar 
places. 

In  the  afternoon  Rodrigues  arrived  with  the  truant  mules 
and  the  rest  of  the  troop.  He  had  had  a long  and  weary 
caqa  (hunt)  for  them  in  the  little-populated  country,  and  only 
late  on  the  ne.xt  day  had  found  them,  sixteen  miles  to  the 
rear  of  the  camp,  grazing  with  a number  of  mares. 

It  is  only  by  patiently  following  the  tracks  of  a runaway 
in  an  open  country,  that  there  is  any  chance  of  finding  it,  and 
for  this  work  a skilled  tropdro  is  wonderfully  apt,  in 
following  a sign  here  and  there,  in  recognizing  some  peculiar 
size  or  form  of  the  hoofs  of  the  missing  one,  or  in  detecting 

6 The  word  “ tapuia  ” is  lire  name  of  one  of  the  chief  races  of  the 
aboriginal  Indians. 


The  Santa  Ritanas.  87 

the  almost  invisible  tracks  across  low  grass,  they  almost 
possess  the  wonderful  gifts  of  Indians  for  this  purpose. 

A stroll  in  the  evening  showed  the  street  a little  more 
lively,  for  many  families  were  seated  in  chairs  on  the  calcado 
(brick  pavement),  in  front  of  their  houses,  to  whom  my  friends 
severally  introduced  me.  I was  always  kindly  received,  coffee 
and  sweets  being,  of  course,  always  served, — I was  really 
impregnated  with  coffee  that  night. — Most  of  the  men  had 
heard  all  about  me  already — name,  age,  salary,  business, 
married  or  otherwise — and  for  such  matters  as  they  were  not 
informed  upon,  they  drew  upon  their  imagination,  my  salary 
was  the  favourite  point  of  discussion,  which  I was  repeatedly 
called  upon  to  settle  definitely,  it  was  evidently  inexplicable 
to  them  why  I evaded  the  question  ; my  reticence  was  put 
down  as  one  of  the  strange  freaks  of  those  inglezes.  The 
garrulous  old  ladies  took  kinder  to  me  when  I informed  them 
that  we  had  churches  in  our  country  and  that  I was  a Christao 
and  not  a pagiio.  As  to  the  younger  ladies,  many  of  whom 
were  very  pretty  and  even  white,  they  were  unapproachable; 
a shy  look,  a whisper  to  her  nearest  female  friend,  and  a con- 
vulsive giggle,  was  the  invariable  response  to  my  observations. 
On  one  occasion  one  of  the  girls  was  Told  by  her  father  to 
canta  um  poiico"  (sing  a little).  Mariquinha,  of  course,  at 
once  dutifully  obeyed,  and  fetched  her  viola  (banjo),  and 
favoured  us  with  a most  ear-piercing  high  nasal  treble  canta 
a moda,  that  was  glistened  to  by  her  friends  and  neigh- 
bours with  lively  gratification.  Imagine  such  a girl  with 
“Caudle  lecture  power” — it  made  one  shudder  with  suicidal 
thoughts. 

March  9. — The  next  morning  heavy  black  clouds  obscured 
the  sun  and  sky,  a sultry  heat  and  a low  moaning  wind  be- 
tokened a heavy  wet  da}”-,  and  soon  after  sunrise  big  drops  fell, 
followed  by  a rush  of  cold  wind,  a crash  of  thunder,  and  the 
rain  at  once  attended  strictly  to  its  duties  ; long  and  hard  it 
rained  until  the  afternoon,  when  it  terminated  in  occasional 
showers.  If  the  town  presented  a dull  lifeless  appearance  in 


88 


Boqueikao  to  Santa  Rita. 


the  bright  sunshine,  imagine  what  a deserted  village  it  must 
have  appeared  on  a pouring  wet  day,  not  a soul  was  visible  in 
the  flooded  streets,  doors  and  windows  were  nearly  all  closed, 
the  open  stores  alone  showing  a human  being,  shivering  with 
the  damp  air,  and  the  cigarette-smoking  store-keeper  leaning 
with  elbows  on  his  counter,  staring  vacantly  into  the 
street. 


S9 


CHAPTKR  VI. 

FROM  SANTA  RITA  TO  FORMOSA. 


Scnhor  Francisco — -A  medicinal  plant  for  dropsy — Wooded  lands — Pcixe 
— Cattle-farmers — Donna  Chiquinha  and  the  Motucas — The  Brazilian 
Tzetze — .A  cavalheiro  d'  industria — .A  successful  gambler — A cold  in 
the  tropics — -A  rich  soil — In  the  forest — A tired  mule — Feroz 
attacked — Prompt  revenge — Formosa — .A  friend  in  need — Intruders 
— -A  rainy  season — The  verdant  village  of  Formosa — A pretty  river- 
side— The  tedium  of  delay — .A  prosperous  farmer — Indolence  of  the 
natives — Doubtful  ownership  of  land — The  unknown  Sapao — Pre- 
parations for  entering  wild  districts — .A  cultivated  valley — Death  of 
Donna  Chiquinha — -A  Brazilian  wake — .A  Brazilian  leather  leggings — 
Rodrigues’  temerity — Signs  of  fine  weather — .A  morning’s  shooting. 

March  lo. — Rain  again  in 
the  morning  prevented  a 
departure  before  mid-day. 
Senhor  Francisco  accom- 
panied me,  as  he  had  some 
business  to  transact  up  the 
river. 

After  leaving  Santa  Rita, 
the  country  assumes  a 
totally  different  appearance 
to  what  it  shows  on  the 
other  side  of  the  toum. 
The  ground  is  more  un- 
dulating, and  the  soil,  red 
clay,  is  much  more  fertile, 
and  covered  with  e.xtensive 
sccond-growTh  woods,  showing  occasionally  some  fine  timber. 


The  wooded  valley  of  the  Rio  Preto,  near 
Formosa. 


go 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 


I was  pointed  out  a cipo  or  vine,  (known  by  the  name  of 
Costclla  de  Gdllinha,)  as  a wonderful  specific  for  the  treatment 
of  certain  forms  of  dropsy  ; there  are  also  great  quantities  of 
wild  herva  doce  (aniseed). 

During  the  ride  the  river  often  came  into  view  ; its  current 
was  perceptibly  stronger,  but  not  sufficient  to  prohibit  navi- 
gation. Towards  evening  the  track  passed  over  more  level 
and  swampier  ground,  and  at  sunset  the  camp  was  pitched 
by  the  side  of  large  marsh,  or  rather,  low  lands  flooded  from 
the  previous  rain.  Close  by  was  a straw  hut,  the  only  habi- 
tation we  had  passed  on  the  road,  although  many  tracks 
branched  off  to  various  farms  and  habitations  situated  more 
inland  from  the  river. 

Mdrch  II. — A long  day’s  ride  through  a long  shady  soli- 
tude of  woods,  hills,  and  dales,  and  through  many  a swollen 
rivulet,  brought  us  at  night  to  Peixe,  a small  collection  of 
five  habitations. 

The  next  day’s  ride  was  through  a similar  country,  but  a 
little  more  open.  Camped  at  night  at  Morrinho,  124  miles 
from  Boqueirao. 

Although  the  soil  of  these  districts  is  excellent,  agriculture 
is  almost  nil,  cattle-breeding  being  the  favourite  occupation. 
But  these  woodland  pastures  are  subject  to  a great  pest  in 
the  form  of  the  Brazilian  tzetze,  the  Motuca  fly ; ‘ the  cattle 
herd  together  in  a close  group  for  mutual  tail-brushing  during 
daylight,  and  only  at  night,  when  the  flies  disappear,  are  they 
enabled  to  graze  ; the  fly  draws  blood  wherever  it  bites  ; our 
mules’  ears,  necks,  and  haunches  were  covered  with  the  flies, 
and  beads  of  blood  appeared  wherever  they  settled.  My 
mule  was  veiy  fortunate  in  having  Donna  Chiquinha,  the 
monkey,  on  his  head,  for  it  afforded  her  evident  enjoyment 
to  smash  the  flies  wherever  they  settled  within  her  reach  ; it 
was  quite  amusing  to  watch  her,  sometimes  she  would  take  a 
hitch  with  her  prehensile  tail  round  one  of  the  mule’s  cars 
and  lower  herself  down  and  clear  off  the  flics  from  checks  and 
’ Iladrus  h'pidotus. 


A Cavaliieiro  u'Industria. 


91 


nostrils,  and  then  climb  over  on  to  the  other  side  for  a similar 
purpose ; the  mule  seemed  to  appreciate  her  kindness,  for  he 
would  always  keep  the  ear  to  which  she  was  suspended 
perfectly  erect,  so  as  to  assist  her  as  much  as  possible  ; there 
was  evidently  a friendship  established  between  the  two 
animals.  Fortunately  for  ourselves,  the  flies  do  not  appear  to 
attack  human  beings,  otherwise  we  should  have  had  a bad 
time.  In  appearance  they  somewhat  resemble  a common 
house-fly,  only  the  bodies  are  black  and  a little  larger,  and 
the  extremities  of  the  wings  appear  as  though  clipped  off 
with  a pair  of  scissors. 

Soon  after  camping,  a white  man  arrived  with  a trocp  of 
horses  ; he  was  mounted  on  a splendid  mule,  jingling  with 
small  silver  bells  attached  to  the  harness  that  was  freely 
covered  -with  silver  mounts.  He  dashed  up  to  our  camp  at 
a fast  skippado,  and  pulled  up  suddenly  cavalheiro  fashion,  by 
forcing  his  spirited  animal  on  its  haunches.  He  was  a wild 
handsome-looking  fellow,  a beau-ideal  of  a cavalheiro.  A 
broad  Panama  hat  rakishly  cocked  aside,  shaded  a keen 
sunburnt  oval  white  face  with  aquiline  nose,  long  straight 
black  eyebrows,  large  dark  e)-es  flashing  with  devilry,  a 
small  firm  mouth  covered  by  a jet-black  moustache,  a small 
trimmed  black  beard,  and  small  ears,  and  long  wavy  black 
hair  set  off  his  small  well-poised  head  ; around  his  neck  hung 
a blue  poncho,  with  one  fold  thrown  over  his  shoulder,  suffi- 
cient to  show  his  lithe  active  figure.  Coat,  trousers,  and 
shirt  of  European  cut  and  texture,  long  yellow  boots  with 
huge  silver  spurs,  a heavily- mounted  riding- whip,  silver- 
mounted  pistols  in  his  holsters,  saddle-cloth  of  jaguar-skin. 
Verily  ! one  of  Captain  Mayne  Reid’s  villains  come  to  life  ; 
it  is  a pity  he  had  a plain  coat,  for  I missed  the  conventional 
crimson  sash,  the  braided  jacket  and  vest,  the  wide  fringed 
trousers,  and  the  other  “ fixings.”  Katurally  I could  not  do 
otherwise  than  invite  such  a distincto  pessoa  to  dpear  (dis- 
mount) and  entrar  my  tent.  He  dismounted  at  once,  and 
advanced  with  a free  and  easy  air  and  outstretched  hand. 


92 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 


My  dog  was  evidently  suspicious  of  him,  for  after  a good 
smell  at  his  legs  he  gave  a low  angry  growl,  as  Feroz  only 
utters  when  he  has  biting  business  in  view  ; he  was  gently 
admonished  by  a kick  to  behave  himself  and  at  once  laid 
himself  down,  but  kept  one  eye  on  our  visitor,  and  ominously 
wagged  his  tail. 

The  stranger  stated  that  he  came  to  compriinentar  (com- 
pliment) fellow-travellers  ; we  mutually  bow,  and  I invite 
him  to  our  rough  fare  then  being  placed  on  the  dining-table, 
i.e.  one  of  my  trunks.  We  were  all  hungry,  and  no  more 
words  or  compliments  were  wasted  until  after  the  cloth,  no, 
the  plates  were  removed,  and  the  wine  {cachaqa)  was  brought 
upon  the  table,  and  cigarettes  produced  and  lighted  ; then 
the  stranger  opened  with  a fire  of  questions  of  the  usual 
inquisitive  character,  and  barely  waiting  for  replies,  pro- 
ceeded to  inform  us  of  his  own  affairs.  He  had  travelled 
from  the  Villa  de  Palma  on  the  Tocantins,  which  he  stated 
was  360  miles  away,  he  had  come  down  the  valley  of  the 
Rio  Preto,  and  was  returning  to  his  native  place,  Joazeiro  on 
the  lower  Sao  Francisco,  about  another  360  miles.  His 
ostensible  purpose  in  visiting  Palma  had  been  to  purchase 
horses  ; but,  as  he  .'■aid  with  a laugh,  “ the  povo  (people)  there, 
fortunately,  happened  to  be  very  fond  of  Jogo  (gambling),  and 
as  I play  a little,  I have  got  my  horses  for  nothing,  and  also 
ekaned  out  all  the  money  in  the  neighbourhood,  about  six 
contos  of  reis  (600/.).”  As  I looked  at  his  keen  devil-me-care 
face,  and  his  lithe  sinewy  limbs,  I thought  the  poor  deluded 
countrymen  would  have  small  chances  with  such  a palpable 
sharper,  and  meet  a foe  ready  for  a quarrel.  “Have  you 
made  many  journeys  like  this  V'  I inquire.  “ Oh  ! that’s  my 
vida  (my  life),  I go  wherever  there  are  horses  and  mono)’, 
and  remain  until  they  are  mine.”  “ Had  many  quarrels  ? ” 
Miiito”  (lots).  “Killed  any  one  Algumos"  (some). 
“ Let  us  have  a little  jogosinho  (small  play),  just  to passar  o 
tempo"  (to  pass  the  time),  said  he.  “My  friend,  I have 
neither  contos  of  reis,  nor  horses  to  lose,  neither  do  I wish 
to  be  included  in  your  a/gumos." 


A Successful  GAMni.FR. 


93 


Making  all  due  allowance  for  braggadocio,  this  fellow  was 
evidently  a successful  professional  gambler,  or  in  other  words, 
sharper,  and  his  life  must  necessarily  have  led  him  into 
many  a quarrel ; when  on  such  occasions,  it  is  like  the  old 
California  times,  who  is  smartest,  kills,  but  instead  of  the 
rev'olver,  here  it  is  the  faca  de  pouta  (dagger). 

Probably  there  was  a good  deal  of  truth  in  his  candid 
avowal,  of  having  had  many  quarrels  with  fatal  terminations, 
as  gambling  and  "amor"  are  some  of  the  chief  causes  of  the  fre- 
quent use  of  the  knife  in  Brazil;  where,  in  the  interior  especially, 
a man  is  no  more  condemned  socially  by  his  countrymen  for 
killing,  than  he  would  be  in  England  if  he  had  horsewhipped 
an  enemy.  Vet,  with  all  this  la.x  morality,  probably  there  is 
no  safer  country  on  the  globe  than  Brazil  for  a traveller,  if 
he  only  has  common  courtesy,  and  avoids  wine,  intrigues, 
politics,  and  gambling.  Being  among  Brazilians,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  judge  their  failings  more  from  their  point  of  view 
rather  than  by  an  English  standard.  Doubtless,  the  con- 
science of  t\\c  cuval/ici}'o\s  as  easy  as  an  Indian’s  after  scalping 
an  enemy. 

Before  leaving,  the  cavalhciro  confirmed  the  reports  I had 
received  in  Santa  Rita,  as  to  the  sharp  ascent  from  Goyaz 
to  the  highlands  of  the  divide  ; he  further  told  me  he  had 
travelled  nine  days  without  passing  a single  habitation,  but 
had  met  everywhere  plenty  of  game,  deer,  peccaries,  tapirs, 
jaguars,  perdi.x,  &c.  No  water  is  found  on  the  table-lands, 
only  in  the  valleys.  At  last  our  friend  got  up,  and  bid  us 
Adcos,  and  Boa  viagem. 

March  13.— This  morning  Senhor  Francisco  left  me  for 
another  direction.  The  cavalhciro  again  visited  us  early,  but 
I excused  myself  on  the  plea  of  a bad  feverish  cold,  and  he 
went  his  way. 

I got  up  with  a really  bad  cold  that  was  not  improved  by 
a wet  morning,  a cold  anywhere  is  not  agreeable,  but  in  the 
tropics  it  is  always  especially  unpleasant  and  aggravated,  and 
often  productive  of  intermittent  fever. 

All  that  day  we  traversed  magnificent  hilly  forest-land. 


94 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 


land  that  would  produce  luxuriantly  all  tropical  growths. 
Sugar-cane  yields  a crop,  year  by  year,  without  replanting, 
for  ten  years  or  more.  The  river  flows  through  a deep 
narrow  valley,  winding  in  and  out  between  precipitous 
wooded  hills,  whose  sides  slope  down  to  the  water’s  edge, 
covered  with  dense  forest.  Some  of  these  forested  valleys 
were  exceedingly  picturesque  ; the  blue-sky-reflected  surface 
of  the  river  winds  round  the  bases  of  the  dark  verdure-clad 
slopes,  where  the  trees  are  each  one  different  to  its  neighbour, 
and  some  rear  up  above  their  fellows,  and  spread  out  like 
a huge  umbrella  of  dark  green  foliage  ; tall  buff  pale-grey 
blue  and  brown  trunks,  straight  as  a scaffold-pole,  show  up 
clearly  against  the  dark  shady  background  of  tangled  vines 
and  foliage  ; the  silver-leaved  and  tall  slender  stemmed 
Imbaicba,  the  purple  or  golden  Bigonia  the  Pau  (T Area, 
are  conspicuous,  both  by  their  numbers  and  colours ; trees 
that  form  the  most  striking  features  of  all  the  forests  from 
Rio  de  Janeiro  to  thus  far. 

I halted  for  a moment  to  gaze  through  an  opening  in  the 
forest,  like  through  a frame  of  leaves,  upon  the  brilliant  sunlit 
waters  of  the  river  deep  down  in  the  curving  valley,  the  bright 
glare  contrasting  so  strongly  with  the  deep  shade  of  the  interior 
of  the  forest,  murmuring  with  the  steady  hum  of  insects  ; such 
as  the  high  notes  of  steely-blue  mosquitos,  the  buzz  of  bees 
or  of  a blundering  beetle  charging  blindly  against  a tree,  and 
the  droning  whistle  of  many  cigarros,  all  mingling  melodiously 
with  the  faint  gurgle  of  the  river  as  it  sweeps  by  the  pendent 
branches  of  trees,  and  where  a blue  kingfisher  darts  like  a 
flashing  jewel  into  the  water  from  an  outstretched  withered 
branch,  covered  by  crimson-flowering  bromelias,  climbing  ferns, 
orchids,  mosse.s,  and  hanging  ropes  of  vines,  swinging  in  the 
gentle  breeze  a nest  of  the  japim  bird.*  A shr  11  car-piercing 
cigarro  close  by  suddenly  startles  one  like  the  sudden  escape 
of  steam  from  an  engine,  and  brings  one’s  eyes  to  the  sur- 
rounding maze  of  huge  buttressed  trunks  spotted  with  lichens 
* Cassicus  icteronotus. 


In  the  Forest. 


95 


and  mosses  ; the  vines,  tangled,  hanging  like  ropes,  festooned, 
coiled  on  the  ground,  or  throttling  the  trunks  like  huge  snakes  ; 
the  myrtle-like  bushes  ; the  tall  slender  saplings  struggling 
upwards  to  the  sunlight ; giant  tree-ferns  and  slender  palms  ; 
the  fluttering  butterflies  like  specks  of  scarlet  in  the  shadowy 
light,  the  faint  mingled  odour  of  spice,  moss,  and  damp  de- 
caying leaves.  It  is  all  the  same  forest  one  sees  every- 
where, only  varied  in  its  details,  as  it  varies  at  every  step. 

The  voices  of  the  men  urging  on  the  mules  up  the  root- 
encumbered  ascent,  awakes  one  from  a dreamy  mood.  "O! 
Diamante!”  "O!  Baroneza !”  ‘'Ora ! mula  do  diabo.”  The  latter 
e.xclamation  is  uttered  as  a mule  struggles  amidst  the  holes 
or  a network  of  roots  in  the  narrow  path.  As  the  animals 
arrive,  their  panting  heaving  sides,  distended  nostrils,  and 
flanks  streaming  with  sweat,  show  the  effects  of  the  climb 
up  the  sharp  ascent  obstructed  with  the  deep  cavities  washed 
out  of  the  interstices  between  the  roots  of  trees,  great  and 
small,  that  so  thickly  encumber  the  path. 

The  mule  loaded  with  the  tent  is  almost  done  up,  as 
is  evident  by  its  trembling  panting  limbs,  drooping  head, 
and  the  limp  ears,  no  longer  erect,  or  turned  smartly  to  front 
or  rear  at  every  passing  sound.  Rodrigues  observes,  “ Quasi 
cansou  ” (it  is  nearly  done  up) . 

The  load  and  pack  were  removed,  and  placed  on  Bob’s  riding- 
mule,  and  thus  released  of  its  burden  the  animal  was  enabled 
to  continue  the  journey. 

In  the  afternoon  we  reached  Formosa  in  a sharp  shower 
of  rain.  Our  arrival  created  a great  commotion  in  this  back- 
woods  village.  Pigs  squealed,  dogs  yelped  and  barked, 
and  men,  women,  and  children  rushed  to  doors  and  windows 
for  a good  stare.  Feroz,  who  was  quietly  trotting  by  my 
side,  received  a warm  reception  from  dozens  of  mongrel  curs, 
and  as  I rode  up  to  a house,  they  all  set  upon  him  with  yelps 
and  barks,  but  not  wishing  to  have  any  disturbance  with  any 
owner  of  these  curs,  I called  to  Feroz  “ ddta  ” (lie  down), 
and  the  good  dog  immediately  laid  down  with  his  head  between 


96 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 


his  paws  silent  and  as  contemptuous  of  the  curs  that  were 
biting  and  worrying  him,  as  though  they  were  so  many  flies. 
He  had,  however,  one  eye  fixed  appealingly  on  me,  evidently 
waiting  for  permission  to  go  for  them.  I called  to  the  people 
of  the  house  to  call  off  the  dogs,  but  they  merely  looked  at 
me,  whispered  to  one  another,  and  made  no  reply  ; so  row  or 
no  row,  I uttered  the  patiently  waited-for  word  “ pega"  (seize 
’em).  In  an  instant  Feroz  was  on  his  legs, — scrunch, — a 
leap, — another  scrunch,  and  two  curs  lay  on  their  broken 
backs  gasping ; the  others,  with  tails  well  stowed  away,  with 
wild  yelps,  were  off  up  and  down  the  street,  where,  when  at 
a safe  distance,  they  barked  defiance. 

Feroz,  his  stump  of  a tail  erect  and  motionless,  showed  a 
contemptuous  indifference  to  his  enemies  and  to  his  fallen  foes, 
who  were  both  in  a bad  way.  “ O que  cachorro ! O que 
cachorro  brabo  ! ” (O  what  a dog ! O what  a fierce  dog)  I heard 
the  people  say,  partly  in  admiration,  partly  in  surprise. 

I eventually  met  the  sub-delegado,  Senhor  Jose  Moreira  de 
Cunha  e Souza,  a pleasant  honest-looking  ruddy-faced  nearly 
white  man.  My  business  and  my  desire  for  a house  for  a day 
or  two  was  briefly  explained ; he  e.xpressed  great  astonishment 
at  the  object  of  my  journey  and  the  proposed  route,  but 
kindly  offered  any  advice  or  assistance  I might  require. 
“ First,”  said  he,  “ let  me  get  you  a house ; mine  is  empty 
now,  as  my  family  is  at  the  farm,  and  you  can  occupy  it  as 
long  as  you  please  ; and  let  me  tell  you  at  once  that  you  must 
not  e.xpect  to  get  away  so  soon  as  you  anticipate,  as  we  are 
now  going  to  have  the  fortnight’s  heavy  rain,  that  always  occurs 
in  the  latter  half  of  this  month,  and  the  country  beyond  here 
will  be  impassable  ; besides,  you  are  muito  constipado  c tem 
febre  (feverish  cold)  ; you  must  be  treated  before  you  go 
on.” 

The  kind  old  man  then  conducted  me  to  the  best  house 
in  the  village,  one  with  wattle  and  dab  walls  and  a tile 
roof,  doors  and  shuttered  windows.  The  floors  are  of  mother 
earth,  the  rough  mud  walls  are  unplastercd  and  unwhite- 


IntrOders. 


97 


washed,  and  the  woodwork  is  all  unpainted.  Above  the 
unceiled  rooms,  as  usual,  appear  the  rafters  and  tiles  of  the 
roof.  There  are  five  large  rooms  in  the  house  and  commo- 
dious open  sheds  in  the  compound.  If  not  attractive  in  its 
appearance,  it  had  the  merits  of  being  commodious  and 
dry. 

After  inducting  me  to  this  establishment,  Senhor  Jose  left 
us  to  return  to  his  farm  across  the  water,  after  promising  to 
meet  again  and  consult  upon  future  proceedings. 

I now  set  to  work  to  doctor  my  cold  ; but,  alas!  a figure 
appears  lounging  in  the  window,  another  at  the  door  ; another 
and  another  comes,  and  soon  doors  and  windows  are  blocked  ; 
the  povo  (people)  outside  tiptoe  over  each  other’s  shoulder  to 
geta  peepat  the  " estrange  iro,"  "‘homendefora','  'pagdoP  "doiitor',' 
“bratico,”  “ing/e:s,”  “bixo,”  as  I am  variously  termed.*  I inwardly 
groan  at  the  well-known  infliction,  and  call  Rodrigues,  and 
request  him  to  take  a bottle  or  two  of  cacJiaqa,  thank  the 
pox'o  for  their  complimentary  visit,  and  e.xplain  to  them  that 
I am  incommodado  (unwell),  and  require  to  be  quiet  and 
descansar  (rest).  This  was  said  in  a back  room,  as  the  front 
room  was  filled  by  the  curious  lounging  crowd,  squatting  on 
their  heels,  smoking  and  freely  expectorating  from  profound 
depths,  eyeing  my  traps,  and  handling  what  they  could  lay 
hands  upon,  discussing  in  whispers  their  opinions  of  the  make 
and  nature  of  the  various  odds  and  ends.  Rodrigues  de- 
parted on  his  mission,  and  I listened  to  sundry  “Ah’s  ! ’’  smack- 
ing of  lips,  coughs  and  expectoration,  and  mutterings  of  “ O 
que  cachara  boa  e forte  !"  (what  strong  good  cachacd)  ; and  a 
shuffle  of  feet  as  my  visitors  all  quietly  retired. 

On  returning  to  the  front  room  a broom  is  evidently  ne- 
cessary to  remove  the  vestiges  of  the  visit,  for  the  floor  is 
an  unpleasant  sight.  Eventually  each  of  the  four  front 
windows  became  again  filled  by  lounging  occupants,  leaning 

^ “Foreigner,”  “a  man  from  beyond  their  district,”  “pagan,’’ 

‘ doctor,”  “white,”  “ Englishman,”  “ bixo.”  This  latter  means  any  living 
thing. 

VOL.  II. 


H 


98 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 


with  arms  folded  on  the  window-sill,  and  chins  firmly  resting 
on  their  wrists  ; their  fixed  eyes  glare  on  my  every  movement, 

M 

until  I put  the  room  in  semi-darkness  by  gently  closing  the 
shutters  in  their  faces  with  a com  licensa  (allow  me.) 

All  that  night  the  wind  blew  fiercely,  accompanied  by  a 
driving  rain,  that  made  the  air  chilly  (70  F.)  and  damp. 

The  next  morning  broke  with  a dull  leaden  sky ; the  wind 
had  ceased,  but  the  rain  came  down  in  long  straight  lines  ; 
for  three  days  and  nights  this  weather  lasted  with  only  a 
few  minutes’  intermission.  The  damp  seemed  to  pervade 
everything ; the  trees  dripped  with  moisture,  rivulets  formed 
in  the  street,  pools  of  water  collected  in  the  rooms  from  holes 
in  the  roof,  and  when  the  wind  blew,  a fine  mist  was  blown 
about  inside  through  the  open  joints  of  the  tiles ; clothes, 
rugs,  provisions,  everything  became  damp  and  even  wet,  and 
a young  forest  of  blue  fungus  rapidly  accumulated  on  boots, 
saddles,  and  harness.  To  cure  a cold  under  these  conditions 
was  no  easy  task,  but  Rodrigues  made  some  herb  decoctions, 
and  with  a few  doses  of  quinine  I was  fairly  well  on  the  third 
day,  when  a little  welcome  sunshine  appeared  that  soon, 
however,  generated  a close  hot  steamy  atmosphere. 

I then  took  a walk  through  the  village.  It  consists  of  two 
irregular  streets,  parallel  to  each  other ; the  houses  are  of  the 
usual  wattle  and  dab,  and  the  birdcage-like  huts  of  upright 
poles  placed  near  together,  with  a ridge  roof  of  thatch.  The 
one  or  two  rooms  at  the  rear  part  of  the  huts  are  divided  by 
wattle  or  mud  walls,  or  by  plaited  palm-leaf  partitions;  chairs  or 
tables  are  rarely  seen,  their  places  are  filled  by  a few  logs  or 
a plain  bench,  and  a miscellaneous  litter  of  hammocks,  hides, 
earthen  pots,  pillows  for  the  pillow-lace,  the  piluo,  or  big 
pestle  for  pounding  coffee  or  maize,  stray  sticks,  cheap  weak 
guns,  and  various  rubbish.  Many  of  the  fronts  of  the  huts  are 
all  open,  and  there  one  sees  the  women,  smoking,  squatting 
on  the  ground,  and  working  the  pillow-lace ; the  men  asleep 
in  hammocks,  and  naked  brown  pot-bellied  children  swarm- 
ing everywhere  in  company  with  gaunt  pigs  and  gaunter 


At  Formosa. 


99 

mongrel  dogs,  and  a few  fowls  and  turkeys  complete  the  family 
circle. 

The  street  opposite  to  mine  is  very  wide,  and  contains  the 
church,  a plain  old  building  in  fair  order,  and  shows  a date 
1790;  therefore  this  is  evidently  not  a new  settlement.  The 
streets  are  densely  overgrown  with  bush,  so  thickly  in  some 
places  as  to  obscure  the  sight  of  the  houses  from  the  opposite 
side  ; paths  wind  in  and  out  amongst  the  weeds  and  bushes 
in  all  directions,  and  as  there  are  apparently  no  carts  or 
wheeled  vehicles,  the  absence  of  a cleared  thoroughfare  is  of 
no  consequence. 

Vegetation  seems  to  take  possession  of  Formosa,  in  front, 
in  rear,  and  round  about  each  house ; in  every  nook  and 
cranny  grow  thick  bush  and  large  trees,  the  roofs  are  masses 
of  shrubs,  each  compound  has  some  fruit,  such  as  bananas, 
oranges,  mamuo  (papaw),  guava,  and  figs,  and  the  castor-oil 
plant  is  in  almost  every  one.  The  soil,  consisting  of  a dark  red 
earth,  is  exceedingly  rich,  as  the  surrounding  verdure  plainly 
shows. 

The  river  Preto,  about  lOO  yards  from  the  village,  is 
a beautiful  clear  stream,  flowing  over  a pebbly  bed,  bor- 
dered by  gently  rising  slopes  of  soft  sward  shaded  by 
clumps  of  trees  and  palms,  large  and  small.  There  I 
found  an  ajojo  loading  up  rapadura  sugar  and  cachar.a  from 
the  sub-delegado’s  farm,  for  sale  in  Santa  Rita.  A walk 
along  the  grassy  margins  of  the  river  showed  many  a pretty 
scene,  constantly  varying  from  forest  to  detached  thickets  of 
trees  bush  and  open  lawn-like  ground  ; many  varieties  ot 
small  birds  chirrupped  a welcome  to  the  sunshine,  and  the 
fussy  little  brown  Jouo  de  Barra  fluttered  his  wings  as  he 
rapidly  uttered  his  tremolo  whistle ; the  water  rippled  placidly 
by,  and  bathed  the  foliage  of  many  a drooping  bush,  and  the 
roots  of  many  a tree.  What  a paradise  this  place  might  be 
made  in  the  hands  of  a thrifty  people,  a people  contented  to 
live  on  the  results  of  reasonable  labours.  But  vast  sums  must 
be  spent  in  not  only  opening  communications  with  the  coast 

H 2 


lOO 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa, 


but  the  intervening  country  must  be  also  populated  before 
this  district  can  be  profitably  utilized,  as  its  merits  de- 
serve. 

Black  clouds  now  appearing,  I hurried  home  just  in  time  to 
escape  the  prelude  to  another  three  days’  constant  rain. 
The  time  passed  very  slowly  ; no  books  or  papers  to  read  ; 
every  book,  periodical,  and  newspaper  that  I possessed  had 
been  carefully  perused,  even  every  advertisement  in  the  news- 
papers, many  more  than  a year  old.  My  only  resource  was 
sketching ; without  that  I felt  that  in  this  abode  of  indolence 
1 should  begin  to  be  like  the  inhabitants,  take  to  a hammock, 
and  sleep  my  time  away.  It  is  strange  how  the  feeling  creeps 
on  one,  how  the  desire  to  do  nothing  grows  upon  one  in  such 
circumstances  as  I was  placed  ; it  was  only  by  assuming  my 
mackintosh,  top-boots,  &c.,  and  taking  a walk  through  the 
mud  and  rain  that  the  feeling  could  be  resisted. 

A day  or  two  of  fine  weather  eventually  occurred,  that  I 
took  advantageof  to  visit  the  sub-delegado,  the  only  industrious 
man  in  the  place.  Taking  Rodrigues  with  me,  we  crossed 
the  river  in  a very  cranky  canoe  (the  only  ferry),  and  had  a 
most  enjoyable  walk  through  forest  and  small  plantations  to 
the  farm  of  Senhor  Josd,  about  three  miles  from  the  village. 
I found  the  ruddy  robust  old  man  of  sixty-five  years  at 
home  ; he  was  glad  t(?  see  me,  and  gave  me  a hearty  shake  of 
the  hand. 

Ilis  home  is  situated  in  a long  wide  valley  all  under  cul- 
tivation ; sugar-cane,  mandioca,  maize,  beans,  coffee,  bananas, 
and  the  castor-plant,  everything  grows  most  luxuriantly.  As 
for  the  coffee-trees,  I never  saw  any  better  in  the  coffee  districts 
of  Rio  dc  Janeiro. 

He  works  very  hard  undoubtedly,  yet  his  home  is  but  an 
abode  of  muddle  and  discomfort.  A small  thatched  house  of 
mud  walls  provides  a minimum  sleeping  accommodation  for 
himself  and  family  ; the  bare  interior  contains  only  a few  beds, 
hammocks,  and  benches.  Outside,  in  several  open  sheds,  is 
passed  the  daily  life  ; a long  table  and  benches  in  one  con- 


A Prosperous  Farmer. 


lOI 


stitutes  the  common  room  for  meals,  a kitchen  is  in  another. 
In  other  sheds  are  the  rude  wood-roller  cane-mill,  the  open 
pans  for  drying  farinha,  the  inotijolo  or  maize-crusher,  the 
barns  and  store-houses.  A pen  for  cattle  and  an  enclosed 
wilderness  of  fruits  and  flowers  form  the  outskirts  of  the  build- 
ings. And  scattered  everywhere  is  harness  for  cattle  and  horses, 
goads,  saddles,  hides,  guns,  sacks,  pestles  for  coffee — anywhere 
and  everywhere,  a place  for  nothing  nowhere.  Yet  it  must  be 
remembered  that  such  untidiness  is  a national  habit,  and  what 
to  a foreigner  appears  chaos  and  discomfort,  is  here  so  much 
evidence  of  prosperity. 

The  old  man  had  no  children  and  only  three  slaves  ; extra 
labour  he  hired  at  320  reis  (8^/.)  per  day  with  food.  He 
cannot  spare  the  time  to  take  his  produce  to  the  market  at 
Santa  Rita,  except  on  rare  occasions,  and  is  obliged  to  sell  it 
to  traders  who  come  to  Formosa,  who  make  as  much  profit 
by  their  petty  trading  as  he  does  by  his  hard  work.  He 
much  regrets  that  there  is  not  some  cheaper  and  more  rapid 
communication  with  Cidade  de  Barra,  for  there  prices  are 
three  times  higher  than  at  Formosa.  At  present  there  is  no 
prospect  of  any  great  results  for  his  labours,  beyond  compe- 
tency, contentment,  and  independence. 

He  spoke  in  bitter  terms  of  the  indolence  of  the  Formo- 
sanas,  for  only  absolute  want  drives  them  to  do  a little  work, 
that  is  stopped  as  soon  as  they  have  laid  in  a stock  of  dried 
beef,  farinha,  cachaea,  and  maybe  a new  piece  of  cotton  for 
their  women  ; then  no  inducement  will  make  them  give  up 
the  hammock  in  the  day,  and  the  viola,  dance,  and  cachaoa 
at  night.  He  further  told  me,  that,  when  a penniless  young 
man,  he  had  passed  through  Formosa,  and  noticing  the 
fertility  of  the  soil,  he  had  then  determined  to  “ squat  ” 
there,  and  single-handed  and  without  resources  or  money 
he  had  turned  the  originally  forest-clad  valley,  little  by  little, 
by  forty  years  of  constant  labour,  into  its  now  flourishing  state 
of  cultivation.  He  was  reticent  as  to  how  he  obtained  the 
land  ; probably  there  was  no  owner,  and  he  had  no  legal  right 


102 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 


to  it,  as,  however,  no  one  disputed  his  possession,  he  became 
virtually  the  proprietor. 

He  was  much  troubled  with  the  persecution  of  bixos  of 
various  kinds  : jaguars  destroyed  his  cattle  on  the  campos, 
and  deer,  caplvaras,  tapir,  peccaries,  foxes,  pacas  (spotted 
cavy),  and  cotia  (agouti)  frequently  inflicted  great  damage  to 
his  crops  in  the  valley. 

Friend  Josd,  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early 
age,  has  had  to  combine  within  himself  the  many  trades  and 
occupations  of  general  farmer,  carpenter,  blacksmith,  farrier, 
butcher,  police-agent,  &c.  He  further  told  me  that,  owing  to 
his  prosperity,  he  had  drawn  upon  himself  the  envy,  hatred, 
and  malice  of  that  village  of  skulkers,  Formosa. 

There  were  a good  number  of  women  about  his  house,  old 
and  young,  ugly  and  good-looking,  black,  brown,  yellow,  and 
nearly  white.  I am  sadly  afraid  that  his  code  of  morality 
would  not  be  acceptable  to  Mrs.  Grundy;  that  respectable 
lady  would  hold  up  her  hand  aghast.  The  old  man  invited 
us  to  his  dinner — a liberal  supply  of  soup,  fish,  venison,  beans, 
sweet  mandioca,  and  sweet  potatoes,  followed  by  sweets,  and 
the  inevitable  pinga  oi  cachaca,  and  then  coffee.  It  was  all 
greasy  and  garlicky,  and  the  surroundings  were  dirty,  dusty, 
and  untidy;  but  long  ago  I had  overcome  any  qualms  on 
those  points. 

He  could  give  me  no  information  about  the  Somno,  as  he 
had  never  heard  of  it  by  name  ; and  knew  very  little  about  the 
Sapao,  except  that  it  was  reported  to  be  infested  with  Indians, 
jaguars,  fevers,  &c. — the  usual  Brazilian  supposition  of  all 
unexplored  parts.  One  thing,  he  said,  you  must  provide 
against,  not  only  hunger  for  yourselves,  but  for  your  mules  also 
because  if  you  come  across  any  capini  agreste  erna  (tall  rank 
coarse  and  matted  old  prairie-grass,  the  growth  of  years),  you 
will  not  only  have  a difhculty  to  force  your  way  through  it, 
but  the  mules  will  probably  find  nothing  to  cat  except  a few 
bushes  by  the  streams,  and  you  won't  always  find  streams. 
It  will  be  necessary  to  take  two  more  mules  loaded  with  maize, 
and  pig-skins  for  carrying  water. 


Indians. 


103 


The  two  extra  mules  the  good  old  fellow  offered  to  hire 
for  thirty  milreis  for  the  journey  (about  3/.).  He  also  sug- 
gested the  advisability  of  taking  with  me  some  one  who  had 
had  experience  of  the  t\’ilds  of  Goyaz,  and  said  he  would  send 
a certain  Antonio  de  Lapa  to  see  me,  a man  who  had  tra- 
velled over  and  traded  in  all  parts  of  Goyaz,  a great  cac.ador 
(hunter),  and  who  had  on  several  occasions  commanded  ex- 
peditions against  the  Indians — in  fact,  a Brazilian  “ Lcather- 
leggings.”  He  also  promised  to  send  a young  Cherente 
Indian,  a young  fellow  he  had  brought  up  from  boyhood,  who 
had  been  captured  some  years  ago  in  one  of  the  border  skir- 
mishes with  the  Indians,  and  who  had  already  accompanied 
Antonio  on  several  of  his  journeys. 

It  was  only  within  the  last  few  years  that  the  Indians  had 
ceased  to  be  troublesome ; before  that  time  all  outlying 
habitations,  even  in  that  neighbourhood,  were  exceedingly 
perilous  abodes.  Now  the  Gentihos  were  all  relegated  to 
the  Sapao,  the  mysterious  haunt  of  all  the  dangers  to  be  found 
in  Brazil,  at  least  according  to  report. 

The  sun  was  about  turning  in  for  the  night  as  we  finished 
our  talking  and  prepared  to  depart,  but  Senhor  Jose  would 
not  hear  of  our  walking  back,  and  insisted  on  my  taking 
his  favourite  horse,  a grand  skippadur,  and  also  one  for 
Rodrigues,  sending  a boy  at  the  same  time  to  bring  them 
back. 

It  was  as  well  we  rode,  for  by  the  time  we  reached  For- 
mosa, it  was  again  raining  heavily.  On  arriving  home,  I was 
very  much  distressed  to  find  Dona  Chiquinha  very  ill,  and 
apparently  suffering  from  an  attack  of  ague.  Bob  had 
wrapped  her  up  in  a po7icho,  and  laid  her  in  front  of  the  fire, 
where  she  shivered  and  trembled  violently.  The  poor 
monkey  had  been  ailing  for  some  days,  and  had  already  re- 
ceived a dose  of  castor  oil.  Poor  Dona,  she  was  so  intensely 
cold  that  in  her  efforts  to  get  warm,  several  times  she  would 
have  burnt  herself  in  getting  tco  near  the  blaze.  We  did  our 
best  for  her,  but  she  died  in  my  arms  that  evening,  and  gave 
me  an  intelligent  look  as  she  made  a faint  attempt  at  a final 


104  Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 

bass  coo-hu-oo.  Poor  Dona,  I shall  miss  her  greatly,  for  she 
had  been  my  daily  companion  in  all  my  journeys  from  the 
Upper  Sao  Francisco,  and  had  wiled  away  many  a long  hour 
of  solitude  with  her  tricks. 

About  midnight,  I was  awakened  by  most  unearthl}’’  noises, 
and  the  glare  of  lights  in  the  street.  On  going  to  the  door, 
I found  nearly  all  the  women  of  the  village  collected  near  a 
house  close  by,  some  crying,  others  screaming  their  loudest, 
others  singing  a wild  dirge,  and  all  the  dogs  and  cocks  of 
the  village  barking  and  crowing. 

It  was  a Brazilian  wake,  for  I learned  that  a man  had  died 
in  an  adjoining  hut  that  night.  I had  been  asked  on  one 
occasion  to  see  him,  for  I,  being  a dojitor,  it  was  evident  that 
I must  necessarily  be  a medico,  and  notwithstanding  my  pro- 
testations to  the  contrary,  I had  to  go. 

The  sick  man  was  suffering  from  an  acute  inflammation 
of  the  liver.  High  fever,  jaundiced  skin,  cough,  vomiting, 
great  pain  in  the  region  of  the  liver  aggravated  by  pressure 
breathing  or  coughing  and  extending  to  the  top  of  the  right 
shoulder.  I could  do  nothing  but  apply  hot-water  flannels 
that  momentarily  relieved  the  pain,  but  otherwise,  I was 
powerless  to  help  the  poor  man,  who  was  far  beyond  the  help 
of  my  polycrest,  “ Cockle’s  pills.”  There  were  no  medicines 
in  the  village,  consequently  he  could  only  be  treated  with 
native  herbs  and  simples,  and  die. 

The  1 ights  emanated  from  flaming  torches  carried  by  the 
women  and  some  men.  The  scream.s,  wailing,  and  mono- 
tonous droning  of  the  dirge,  the  moving  figures  in  the 
flickering  smoky  glare,  the  open  hut,  where  the  corpse  lay 
exposed  to  view,  on  a trestle  bed,  made  an  indescribably 
weird  scene.  The  widow  could  be  seen  wildly  throwing 
about  her  arms,  screaming  violently,  tearing  her  hair,  calling, 
“ A i ! Jezns  ! A i ! mco  Deos  ! A i ! santissinia  Virgem  I " &c., 
and  otherwise  conducting  herself  like  a person  bereft  of  her 
senses.  The  clamour  and  noises  continued  unceasingly. 

I noticed  the  agony  of  woe  v\as  fed  and  supported  by 


A Brazilian  Wake. 


105 

liberal  and  frequent  libations  of  cac/iaqa,  it  was  almost  funny 
to  see  at  times  a brown  woman — her  long  Indian  hair  all  dis- 
hevelled, her  chemise  all  awry,  her  eyes  bleared  and  watery 
with  excitement  and  drink — take  a good  pull  at  the  cachaca 
bottle,  give  a grunt  of  satisfaction,  wash  her  mouth  out  with 
water,  and  eject  it  through  the  interstices  of  her  filed  teeth  ; 
then  pull  herself  together,  and  go  to  business  again,  by 
throwing  back  her  head,  and  opening  her  mouth  for  the 
proper  development  of  a series  of  ear-splitting  howls.  The 
music  was  evidently  distributed  in  parts,  for  the  widow  and 
near  relations  performed  the  scream.s,  others  the  howls,  and 
the  rest  the  dirges  ; few  men  were  present,  and  even  those  did 
did  not  participate  in  the  concert. 

.About  3 p.m.  a procession  of  men  approached  with  a 
rough  well-worn  second-hand  coffin,  evidently  representing 
the  duties  of  a hearse.  In  front  of  it  a huge  rough  wood 
crucifi.x  was  carried,  and  each  man  bore  a lighted  taper. 
Not  much  time  or  ceremony  was  wasted  in  placing  the  body 
in  the  coffin,  for  in  a few  minutes  the  whole  procession  re- 
turned with  it  to  the  church,  accompanied  by  all  the  women, 
who  had  apparently  reserved  their  lungs  for  this,  the  finale  ; 
they  whirled  about,  threw  their  arms  in  the  air,  and  .screamed 
their  hardest  like  dancing  dervishes,  while  the  men  tramped 
on  quietl}’’,  now  joining  in  the  dirge.  It  was  indeed  a strange 
scene  in  the  darkness  of  night,  to  see  the  moving  train  of 
flickering  lights,  flaring  torches,  and  wild  excited  women,  and 
hear  the  unearthly  noises.  There  was  no  priest  to  perform 
the  burial  service,  and  the  body  was  simply  taken  out  of  the 
coffin,  cast  into  a hole  in  the  ground  in  the  cemetery,  and 
the  earth  quickly  stamped  down. 

Occasionally  the  priest  from  Santa  Rita  visits  the  place, 
to  marry,  baptize,  or  to  read  a mass  for  those  who  have  died 
since  his  last  visit. 

A comparatively  blissful  quiet  night  then  ensued,  broken 
only  by  the  crowing  of  all  the  cocks,  and  the  barking  of  all 
the  mongrels  of  the  village. 


io6  Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 

Several  wet  days  again  followed.  Slow  indeed  the  time 
passed,  the  rain  was  so  heavy  and  continuous  that  I was 
almost  a prisoner  in  the  house  ; sketching  was  my  only  relief 
to  the  monotony. 

Neighbours,  however,  favoured  me  with  calls,  who  all  told 
terrible  tales  of  the  Sapuo,  of  hunting,  and  of  Indian  raids. 

Within  a few  years,  in  the  neighbouring  district  of  Para- 
nagua,  huts  had  been  sacked,  the  men  killed,  and  the  women 
and  children  carried  into  captivity,  yet  from  what  I could 
glean  it  appeared  to  be  only  retaliation  for  inflicted  wrongs, 
as  the  Indians,  especially  the  boys,  are  considered  lawful 
prey  for  any  one  to  capture,  kill,  or  make  a slave  of. 

It  is  the  old  old  story  of  all  the  border-lands  : of  aborigines 
and  whites  in  all  the  backwoods  of  the  old  and  new  world. 

Amongst  my  visitors  came  the  celebrated  Antonio  da 
Lapa,  evidently  a character.  A man  of  two  yards  of  broad 
square-shouldered  but  skinny  humanity,  about  fifty  years  old, 
dried  and  burnt  up  with  perpetual  exposure  ; his  head  is  small 
and  cocoa-nut  in  shape,  but  bright  small  black  eyes  peer  from 
under  his  shaggy  brows  ; his  face  is  gaunt  and  thin,  and  his 
mouth  and  chin  are  covered  with  a small  grizzled  beard  and 
moustache,  the  latter  brown  with  snuff.  I lis  garments  comprise 
hat,  coat,  and  tight  trousers  of  soft  tanned  deer-skin,  and  a 
striped  blue  cotton  shirt;  on  his  bare  feet  are  strapped  a pair 
of  huge  rusty  spurs,  a long  knife  is  in  his  girdle,  and  in  his 
hands  is  a long  small-barrelled  flint-lock  gun  of  antique  make  : 
truly  he  looked  a Brazilian  ,Don  Quixote,  as  he  stood  before 
me  in  an  easy  attitude,  with  his  claw-like  hands  clasped 
together  over  his  gun. 

Entdo,  Senhor  Antonio,  qncr  me  accompanliar  ao  ontro 
mundo"  {'^qW,  Antonio,  do  you  want  to  accompany  me  to 
the  other  world)  ? “ Ondc  V’nce  quizer"  (Wherever  you  wish), 
he  replies.  The  old  leather-leggings  certainly  has  a business- 
like appearance  for  the  Geraes,  but  I look  doubtingly  at  that 
wonderful  gun  of  his,  and  say,  “You  are  not  going  to  take 
that  thing,  are  you  ? ” “ This,”  he  says,  holding  up  the  ancient 


A Brazilian  “ Llatiier-leggings.”  107 

gas-pipe  with  sparkling  eyes  ; “ Ah  ! see  what  we  will  do 
with  it,  why  there  is  not  another  gun  like  it  anywhere.” 
That  I was  ready  to  admit,  but  its  merits  looked  more  than 
doubtful.  We  then  discussed  terms  of  association.  He  was 
to  accompany  the  troop  and  make  himself  generally  useful, 
and  remain  until  his  services  should  be  no  longer  required, 
for  twenty  milreis  per  month  (2/.),  and  his  food.  I gave  him 
instructions  at  once  to  purchase  a fat  bullock  and  turn  it  into 
jerked  beef  as  soon  as  there  was  any  sunny  weather.  He 
directed  Rodrigues  and  his  men  how  to  make  ball  and  .‘^hot 
cartridges  for  their  gas-pipes.  “ W’e  shall  have  plenty  of 
sport,”  he  said,  with  a chuckle,  “ indios,  porcos  e veados  ” 
(Indians,  pigs,  and  deer),  “and  maybe  jaguars.”  Rodrigues 
did  not  at  all  look  happy  at  these  remarks,  and  the  many 
yarns  the  villagers  had  told  him  were  having  their  due  effect 
upon  him.  Later  on,  he  came  to  me  and  said,  “ Senhor 
Doutor,  I am  a tropciro,  and  do  not  mind  travelling  anywhere 
where  there  is  a road,  but  to  go  into  these  wild  geraes  to 
starve,  or  get  lost,  or  maybe  fight  Indians,  jaguars,  pig.s,  and 
all  other  kinds  of  devilry.  Nao  Senhor,  V’ou  me  cmboia 
(I  will  be  off).”  I appealed  to  his  sense  of  justice,  that  in 
having  made  a contract  he  must  fulfil  it.  I appealed  to  his 
dignity,  his  courage,  his  patriotism,  his  sense  of  honour,  &c., 
&c.,  but  all  in  vain,  the  old  man  said  he  must  return  to  his 
family,  with  the  old  old  story,  that  his  wife  was  sick,  or  his 
mother  might  die,  and  that  the  beans,  or  the  rice,  or  the 
maize  in  the  ro^a  wanted  gathering.  As  a last  resource,  I 
tried  another  tack;  “Well,  Mr.  Senhor  Rodrigues,  if  you 
want  to  return,  you  must  return  alone,  I shall  not  pay  you 
one  vintevi,  and  I shall  get  the  sub-delegado  to  send  your 
mules  and  men  on  with  me,  and  if  you.  resist,  you  will  be 
locked  up.”  It  was  only  a threat,  as  I could  not  have  seized 
his  animals,  but  it  served  my  purpose,  for  he  said,  after  think- 
ing some  time,  “ Well,  do  as  you  please,  good-bye  my  poor 
little  ones,  my  w'ife,  and  my  house,  that  I shall  never  see  again.” 
The  rain  continued  with  slight  intermissions  until  April 


io8 


Santa  Rita  to  Formosa. 


3rd,  when  a clear  bright  sunny  morning  and  a cloudless 
sky,  at  last  indicated  that  the  rain  of  the  season  was  over. 

In  the  meantime  Senhor  Jose  had  been  to  see  me,  and  I 
had  returned  his  visit  early  one  morning  in  order  to  get  some 
shooting.  We  left  his  home  amidst  pouring  rain,  and  started 
for  his  roca,  taking  with  us  some  dozen  mongrel  curs,  all 
especially  half  starved  for  the  occasion.  On  arriving  near  the 
adjoining  woods  the  dogs  were  turned  loose,  and  a very  short 
time  aftenvards  their  voices  indicated  that  they  had  struck  a 
trail.  We  had  stowed  ourselves  meanwhile  behind  some 
bushes  bordering  an  exit  from  the  woods,  and  soon  after- 
wards a beautiful  gazelle-like  Matirio  deer  came  bounding 
out  into  the  more  open  plantations.  The  animal  stopped 
one  moment,  with  foreleg  upraised,  extended  ear,  and 
expanded  nostril,  evidently  scenting  our  presence  ; the  sounds 
of  the  approaching  dogs  impelled  her  forwards  again — crack  ! 
— and  the  delicate  creature  falls  forwards,  shot  by  Jose.  A 
cotia*  {agouti)  follows  with  long  kangaroo-like  leaps;  this 
falls  an  easy  prize.  The  dogs  then  strike  off  in  another  direc- 
tion and  finally  emerge  from  the  woods  some  distance  away, 
in  pursuit  of  some  animal  we  cannot  distinguish ; whatever 
it  is,  it  is  making  for  the  little  stream  in  the  centre  of  the 
valley.  “ Vamos,  doutor','  cries  Jose,  and  bounds  off  with 
the  activity  of  a young  man,  crashing  through  scattered 
clumps  of  cane,  jumping  logs,  now  in  a hole  of  mud.  now 
dodging  the  branches  of  the  castor-plants,  onwards  and 
downwards,  down  a steep  slope  to  the  stream  ; the  dogs 
meanwhile  baying  loudly  and  coming  towards  us.  Suddenly 
the  old  man  stops  and  fires  ; “ There  she  goes,”  he  calls 
out,  and  points  at  a paca  swimming  in  the  water.  At 
this  moment  a huge  snout  appears  as  the  dogs  come  in 
sight,  it  is  but  for  a moment,  for  it  suddenly  dives.  “ O 
bixo  do  diabo,"  exclaims  Jose,  as  he  witnes.scs  the  diving 
animal  (a  ca/ivara,  the  farmers’  pest),  and  having  reloaded, 
awaj’  we  both  start  in  pursuit,  the  dogs  now  with  us.  It  is 
* ClcHodactylus  bnisilicnsis,  lilainville. 


A Morning’s  Smootinc;.  109 

i 

I a funny  idea  of  sport  ; the  rain  is  coming  down  heavily, 
we  arc  covered  with  burrs  and  mud,  and  scratched  by 
1 brambles,  but  nevertheless  we  slip  down  steep  slopes,  and 
! wriggle  through  bushes,  just  in  time  to  get  simultaneously 

! long  shots  at  the  capivara  then  in  shallow  water;  it  is 

I evidently  wounded,  but  retreats  into  the  adjoining  bushes, 

where  he  is  followed  by  the  dogs,  and  where  we  find  him  at 
! bay  with  his  haunches  freely  bleeding  but  showing  a gallant 

front  to  the  dogs,  who  have  cut  off  his  retreat ; two  shots 
from  my  revolver  end  the  chase.  It  had  been  sharp  quick 
work,  and  we  had  had  a capital  run,  if  one  may  so  term  it. 
The  bag  comprised  a deer,  an  agotiti,  two  spotted  caviis,  and 
a capivara.  capivara  is  hardly  eatable,  for  it  has  a gland 

that  must  be  cut  out  immediately  after  death  ; otherwise,  the 
flesh  h^  a strong  musky  flavour,  and  even  under  the  most 
I favourable  circumstances,  it  yet  retains  an  unpleasant  taste. 
Farmers  destroy  them  unmercifully,  as  they  inflict  great 
damage  in  the  ro^as.  The  rest  cf  the  bag  were  all  delicacies 
for  the  table,  especially  the  cavy  {paca),  than  which  there  is 
no  better  flesh  when  young  and  well  prepared. 

On  other  occasions  when  I braved  the  weather  in  my  walks, 
I found  many  birds  in  some  of  the  flooded  hollows  of  the 
country,  beautiful  white  herons,’  large  ducks,®  and  the  usual 
I birds  common  to  the  swamps  and  lakes  of  Brazil. 


^ Ardea  candidissima. 


® Anas  moschata. 


I lO 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  FORMOSA  TO  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  RIO  SAl’AO. 

Additions  to  my  troop — Don  Quixote — Forebodings  of  disaster — A 
wandering  goldsmith — A cattle-farm — Approach  to  the  Geraes — The 
Buriiy  palm  groves  of  the  Sap.ao  and  its  mouth — Santa  Maria — 
Indian  raids — The  last  houses — A charming  situation — Prospects  of 
adventure — Rodrigues’ alarm — Difficulties  of  deciding  upon  a route — 
The  Rio  Sapao — Josd  Grosso. 


At  last,  once  more  we  move 
on  again,  and  bid  adieu  to 
Formosa,  glad  indeed  to  escape 
out  of  that  woe-begone  collec- 
tion of  wretched  hovels,  espe- 
cially after  the  long  and  vexa- 
tious delay  of  twenty-two  days 
of  weary,  dreary  waiting  for  a 
cessation  of  the  continual  rains, 
and  then,  finally,  making  the 
preparations  for  the  journey 
into  the  surrounding  unknown 
country,  such  as  drying  and 
salting  beef  for  provisions,  for 
which  purpose  the  sun  is  in- 
dispensable. My  troop  now 
consisted  of  Rodrigues  and  Hob 
mounted  on  mules,  Antonio 
da  Lapa  on  horseback,  and  Serga,  Roberto  and  Archanjo  on 
foot,  four  mules  carrying  the  baggage,  and  two  others  loaded 


The  Rio  Proto  at  .Santa  Maria. 


1 1 1 


Don  Quixote, 

with  maize,  and  the  two  dogs.  My  good  friend,  the  sub- 
delegado,  never  failed  to  impress  me  with  his  opinion  that  it 
would  be  madness  to  think  of  venturing  into  the  wilds  of  the 
Sapao  without  such  a valiant  hunter  and  Indian  fighter  as 
Antonio,  one  who  so  well  knew  the  devilries  of  the  tapiiias. 
As  I looked  at  this  specimen  of  a Brazilian  “ Leather-leg- 
gings,” his  horse,  arms,  and  accoutrements,  well,  he  did  look 
funny,  and  not  quite  up  to  my  idea  of  what  a captain  of  my 
escort  should  be.  His  horse,  an  old  mottled  grey,  is  pensive 
and  somnolent;  his  knees  are  largely  developed,  and  have  a 
perceptible  cant  forward,  his  ribs  are  countable,  his  mane 
is  stubby  and  uncombed,  his  eyes  are  heavy  with  sleep, 
there  is  a general  air  of  depression  about  the  beast  that,  if 
it  indicates  an  absence  of  vice,  shows  that  it  is  no  fiery 
steed.  His  rider,  a fit  Don  Quixote  for  such  an  evident 
Rozinante,  appears  much  the  same  as  described  on  his  first 
visit  to  me,  with  the  addition  of  an  old  frayed  blue  capote 
fastened  to  his  saddle. 

The  Cherente  Indian,  “Trascuhyn”  by  name,  who  came 
on  one  occasion  to  see  me,  at  the  last  moment  failed  to  appear, 
and  we  went  without  him. 

All  the  village  had  assembled  to  witness  our  departure, 
amongst  them  my  kind  old  friend,  the  sub-delegado . They 
bade  us  “ Adcos ! * Ale  a volta  ! Ate  a outra  vista  ! ” &c.  T o 
which  we  duly  reply,  “ Se  Deos  quizerP  ^ At  the  same  time 
many  croaked  dismal  forebodings  of  peril  and  danger  by 
Indians,  hunger  and  thirst,  fevers,  jaguars,  and  wild  pigs  that 
they  thought  we  were  so  foolishly  going  to  meet.  Rodrigues 
paled  visably,  and  gladly  would  have  returned,  were  it  not 
that  he  knew  he  would  not  in  that  case  be  paid  anything  for 
the  hire  of  his  mules  and  men. 

This  day’s  journey  was  only  fourteen  miles,  as  it  was  found 
necessary  to  stop  and  give  the  jerked  beef  a little  more  of 
the  sun. 

Adieu  ! Until  you  return.  Until  we  see  you  again. 

* If  God  wills  it. 


I I 2 


Formosa  to  Santa  Maria. 


The  country  passed  through  was  hilly,  well  watered  in  the 
bottoms  and  richly  wooded,  habitations  were  few  and  far 
between.  We  accompanied  the  river  almost  all  the  way,  the 
adjoining  land  was  often  flat,  and  afforded  good  travelling, 
although  we  had  to  cross  many  a marsh,  and  wade  through 
small  lakes.  Very  little  animal  life  was  to  be  seen  except  a 
few  water-fowl. 

The  valley  gives  one  the  appearance  of  having  been  ex- 
cavated out  of  the  adjoining  plains,  for  although  for  a short 
distance,  say  one  to  three  hundred  yards,  the  land  is  slightly 
undulating  and  hilly,  an  ascent  or  examination  of  the  more 
distant  and  higher  elevations  show  their  summits  to  be  level 
and  extending  far  away  to  the  horizon,  an  arid  agresie  grass 
prairie. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  the  Fazenda  de  Vuo, 
belonging  to  a Major  Antonio  de  Miranda,  consisting  of  a 
few  large  birdcage-looking  huts,  with  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
a fazendeiro  de  gado  (cattle-breeder).  At  this  place  a wan- 
dering Italian  journeyman  goldsmith  was  staying.  He  told 
me  he  had  been  in  Brazil  six  years,  and  had  travelled  over  a 
great  section  of  the  empire  ; but,  as  might  be  expected,  such 
a rolling  stone  had  gathered  but  little  moss  ; certainly  that 
was  not  the  place  to  expect  to  meet  a goldsmith  in,  where 
his  prospects  of  doing  a roaring  trade  in  these  moneyless 
districts  must  be  very  small  indeed. 

My  comfortable  tent  was  put  up,  and  the  night  passed 
plea'^antly;  the  temperature  was  delightful,  and  mosquitos 
were  absent.  Feroz’s  sudden  onslaughts  on  to  the  too  in- 
qui>itive  wandering  pigs  of  the  farm,  alone  disturbing  the 
quiet  of  the  night. 

The  next  morning  the  animals  were  fortunately  found 
where  they  were  expected  to  be,  and  a good  start  made,  and  I 
rode  on  ahead  with  Don  Quixote.  The  country  now  began 
to  show  signs  of  an  appr  oach  to  the  Gcr-acs,  changing  from 
the  wooded  lands  of  l^'ormosa  to  what  is  known  as  cerrado 
fcchado,  that  is,  thick,  scrubby  vegetation,  with  often  many 


Approach  to  the  Geraes. 


113 

patches  of  tall  rank  agrcste  grass,  thorny  bramble,  prickly 
dwarf  palms  and  thick  bushes  between  the  trees ; still  the 
soil  was  in  many  places  rich,  and  admirable  pasturage  could 
easily  be  obtained,  yet,  during  the  morning’s  ride,  away  from 
the  narrow  path  we  travelled,  no  signs  of  life  or  cultivation, 
met  our  view ; no  sound  was  heard  but  the  rippling  of  the 
water  of  the  river  and  the  rustle  of  the  passing  breeze  ; even 
birds  were  rarely  seen.  About  mid-day  we  reached  a small 
farm,  fazenda  or  retiro,  as  the  small  farms  arc  more  generally 
called,  and  known  as  Matto  Grosso,  twenty-eight  miles  from 
Formosa.  There  Rodrigues  made  his  mid-day  halt  to  rest 
the  animals  and  breakfast,  although  it  wanted  but  four  miles 
to  the  day’s  destination,  the  mouth  of  the  Sapao.  After  a 
hasty  breakfast,  Don  Quixote  and  I rode  on  to  the  mys- 
terious Sapao,  where  all  our  perils  were  supposed  to  com- 
mence. At  every  mile  we  passed,  the  country  became  more 
and  more  open,  and  on  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sapao, 
we  found  a most  decided  change.  As  far  as  we  could  see 
up  the  valley  of  the  Sapao,  both  banks  appeared  fringed  by 
narrow  belts  of  Burity  palms,  eighty  feet  high,  the  first  time 
that  I had  seen  these  beautiful  palms  in  such  quantities,® 
in  fact  they  form  the  characteristic  feature  of  the  country 
about  to  be  entered,  and  will  be  more  fully  mentioned  later 
on.  By  the  side  of  the  Burity  groves,  the  land  is  flat  and  often 
swampy  for  small  distances  away  from  the  stream,  and  then 
rises  in  gentle  cerrado  or  grass-covered  slopes,  to  the  often 
almost  perpendicular  slopes  of  the  adjoining  table-lands. 
These  slopes,  when  viewed  from  the  river  valley,  give  the 
appearance  of  a range  of  hills,  whereas  they  are  really  the 
w'alls  of  the  denuded  table-lands  : their  flat-topped  summits 
extend  in  a level  plain  to  wherever  may  be  the  next 
valley. 

At  the  junction  of  the  Sapao  with  the  Rio  Preto,  are  a 
few  houses,  known  as  Sta.  Maria,  the  last  habitations  we 

’ The  few  scattered  examples  that  one  meets  with  in  the  swamps  of 
Minas,  bear  no  comparison  to  these  beautiful  groves. 

VOL.  II. 


I 


114 


Formosa  to  Santa  Maria. 


shall  see  for  many  days  ; they  form  really  an  outpost  on 
the  borders  of  the  unknown.  Many  of  the  houses  are  rudely 
fortified  by  thick  walls  of  sun-dried  bricks,  loopholed  for 
musketry  firing,  and  roofed  with  two  layers  of  palm-leaf  thatch, 
between  which  is  laid  a thick  and  substantial  layer  of  clay, 
as  a protection  against  a possible  firing  of  the  grass  covering 
by  fiery  arrows  on  occasions  of  attack. 

Although  it  was  then  some  years  since  the  tapuias  (Cherentes 
and  Coroados)  visited  the  neighbourhood,  the  inhabitants  still 
pass  an  uncomfortable  life  of  suspense  and  expectation,  and 
the  women  and  children  venture  but  short  distances  from 
their  houses.  This  place  has  been  in  times  past,  the 
scene  of  many  an  Indian  raid,  and  skirmishes  with  loss  on 
both  sides  ; and  many  a head  of  cattle  have  the  ravagers 
carried  away  with  them,  and  occasionally  some  women  or 
children,  who  disappeared  into  the  then  wilds  of  Goyaz,  never 
to  return."'  I suggested  to  my  “ Leather-leggings  ” that  those 

* Gardner,  the  naturalist,  passed  through  Santa  Maria  in  the  year  1838, 
on  his  way  from  Ceara,  through  Goyaz,  to  Rio  de  Janeiro.  His  descrip- 
tions of  this  place,  written  nearly  fifty  years  ago,  are  quite  applicable  to 
the  present  times,  so  few  changes  having  meanwhile  occurred.  He 
mentions  how  the  people  were  even  then  scared  out  of  their  lives  by  the 
dreadof  Indian  attacks,  as  the  following  extracts  from  his  work  will  show: — 

“ We  were  not  far  from  the  house  on  which  the  outrage  I have  before 
mentioned  was  committed  by  the  Indians.  The  attack  was  made  during 
the  day,  while  the  men  were  absent  in  the  fields,  and  after  burning  the 
house  and  killing  three  women,  they  carried  off  two  children.  The  people 
at  Santa  Maria  informed  me  that  they  lived  in  constant  dread  of  the 
Indians,  and  that  they  had  serious  intentions  of  removing  to  a more  popu- 
lous district.  These  Indians  live  generally  at  a considerable  distance  to 
the  north-west,  and  are  known  as  Cherentes.  It  is  supposed  this  attack 
originated  in  consequence  of  one  of  the  Indians  having  been  fired  at  and 
wounded  by  mistake,  who,  in  revenge,  had,  with  the  assistance  of  his 
countrymen,  committed  the  outrage  above  mentioned.” 

“ The  stories  he  told  of  the  Indians  alarmed  my  party  very  much,  and 
I was  in  consequence  obliged  to  get  all  my  arms  put  in  order,  so  as  to 
make  as  formidable  an  appearance  as  possible.” 

“ The  country  people  have  all  a dread  of  this  wild  and  uninhabited 


Indian  Raids. 


1 15 

would  have  been  good  occasions  to  exercise  his  redoubtable 
powers.  He  beamed  on  me  a sickly  smile,  and  after  recounting 
what  I am  afraid  was  many  an  imaginary  conflict  he  had  had 
with  the  Indians,  he  observed  that  to  go  after  a retreating 
horde  of  iapnias  retiring  with  their  spoil,  would  necessitate  a 
larger  number  of  men  than  would  be  possible  to  collect  in  the 
districts.  “ How  about  our  little  troop  then  ? ” I inquired. 

“ Ah  ! ” said  he,  solemnly,  and  raising  his  hat,  “ God  only 
knows  if  we  shall  ever  return.” 

Fortunately  for  myself,  I had  already  had  so  varied  an 
experience  of  the  powers  of  imagination  of  the  Brazilian 
countrymen  of  the  dangers  and  evils  of  distant  districts, 
that  I had  become  thoroughly  sceptical  of  all  they  told  me. 
Not  so,  unfortunately,  was  my  tropeiro,  Rodrigues,  he  literally 
quaked  with  fear  when  he  heard  these  wonderful  stories. 

Up  to  this  point  I found  the  Rio  Preto  navigable  for  light 
draught  craft,  drawing  say  three  feet  of  water.  The  width 
varies  from  lOO  to  200  feet,  the  average  velocity  of  the  river 
is  about  two  miles  per  hour ; in  a few  bends  there  are  a few 
insignificant  rapids,  but  against  which  a small  steamer  could 
easily  make  head-way.^ 


track  (the  road  up  the  Rio  Preto  from  Santa  Maria),  and  before  entering 
it  I was  often  asked  if  I was  not  afraid  to  do  so,  with  so  few  attendants. 
Their  owm  fear  is,  I believe,  greatly  owing  to  their  own  cowardice,  a very 
common  feeling  in  all  parts  of  the  country  I have  visited.” 


But  Mr.  Gardner  made  a great  mistake  with  reference  to  the  course  of 
the  Rio  Preto  when  he  stated  “ the  Rio  Preto  falls  into  the  Rio  Sao 
Francisco,  a little  above  Villa  da  Barra,”  for  this  river,  as  my  journey 
has  shown,  enters  the  Rio  Grande  at  Boqueirao. 

* The  following  shallows  and  strong  currents  are  the  chief  impediments 
to  the  navigation  of  the  Rio  Preto. 


Atoleiro 

. 55  kilometers  below  Formosa. 

Porto  Raso . 

• 37 

5> 

Marimbondo 

• 21  „ 

>5 

Jatobd 

• 12 

)» 

Raposa 

• 7 

Vao  da  Batalha  . 

• 16 

above 

>> 

Vao  do  Angico  . 

• 19 

>>  - 

)) 

I 2 


Formosa  to  Santa  Maria. 


1 16 

The  situation  of  Sta.  Maria  is  very  picturesque.  The  black 
but  clear  waters  of  the  river  flow  almost  on  a level  with  the 
soft  grass  sward  of  the  banks,  that  are  dotted -here  and  there 
by  clumps  of  Pindahybas,  Burityranas,  Burity  palms,  and 
bamboos.  The  atmosphere  is  clear  as  crystal,  an  exhilarating 
breeze  blows  fresh  and  cool,  and  with  the  bright  blue  sky 
and  verdant  landscape  of  rolling  grassy  hills,  and  the  neigh- 
bouring rich  red  slopes  of  the  table-lands,  the  place  forms 
altogether  a charming  locality  for  a residence,  and  with  the 
admirable  pasturage,  quite  explains  how  the  people  have 
remained  here  despite  its  Indian  inconveniences,  which  I 
confess  I must  realize  to  appreciate.® 

A little  before  dark,  Rodrigues  and  the  troop  joined  us, 
when  we  crossed  the  Sapiio  by  transporting  the  baggage 
in  a canoe,  swimming  the  animals  across  the  stream  and 
then  bivouacked  for  the  night. 

In  the  evening  we  received  a visit  from  the  local  magnates. 
It  was  quite  amusing  to  see  their  long  faces,  expressive  of  a 
holy  horror  at  our  temerity,  and  they  soon  added  another 
item  to  the  already  formidable  list  of  woes  to  come,  namely, 
vampire  bats,  that  were  said  to  exist  in  such  numbers  in  a 
part  of  the  valley  of  the  Sapao,  about  sixteen  miles  away, 
that  it  is  there  impossible  for  any  animal  to  live  through  the 
night.  This  was  almost  too  much  for  Rodrigues,  for  when, 
in  addition  to  so  many  possible  personal  dangers,  there  was 
a further  possibility  of  losing  his  mules,  the  very  idea  made 
him  desperate,  and  he  at  once  declared  he  would  go  no 
further. 

It  was  only  by  alternate  threats  of  imprisonment  by 
the  sub-delegado  at  Formosa,  and  coaxing  him,  and  finally 

Viio  clc  Capyvara  . . . 21  kilometers  above  Formosa. 

Vao  do  Brejo  Grande  . . 31  „ „ „ 

Of  these  Porto  Raso  is  the  shallowest,  but  even  in  the  dry  season  its 
canal  has  a minimum  depth  of  four  feet. 

' The  aneroids  indicated  1752  feet  above  the  sea  and  420  feet  above 
the  Rio  Sao  Francisco  at  Cidade  da  Barra. 


Difficulties  of  deciding  a Route.  117 

promising  to  pay  him  for  any  animal  he  might  lose,  that  I at 
last  succeeded  in  pacifying  him.  Poor  Rodrigues,  I am  afraid 
his  dreams  that  night  were  a nightmare  of  jaguars,  Indians, 
wild  pigs,  bats,  anacondas,  fugitive  slaves,  and  bleached 
skeletons. 

Although  the  route  by  the  Rio  Sapao  was  not  embodied 
in  my  instructions,  the  Rio  do  Somno  clearly  was.  Yet  up 
to  the  present  point,  I had  not  been  able  to  obtain  the 
slightest  information  as  to  its  whereabouts  ; as,  however,  a 
road  accompanies  the  Rio  do  Preto,  and  thence  passes 
into  Goyaz,  passing  travellers  would  certainly  have  men- 
tioned in  I'ormosa  or  Sta.  Rita  this  river  Somno  in  the  tales 
of  their  travels,  if  it  existed  in  their  line  of  route. 

At  Sta.  Maria,  I gleaned  that  the  western  slopes  of  the 
watershed  of  the  Sao  Francisco  and  Tocantins  are  ex- 
ceedingly precipitous,  or  as  my  informant  told  me,  that  when 
any  one  looks  down  from  the  summits  towards  the  lowlands 
in  Goyaz,  the  depth  is  so  great  that  the  distant  landscape 
appears  azul  (blue).  I did  not,  however,  believe  that  my  in- 
formant had  ever  been  there,  yet,  as  in  that  direction  there 
is  apparently  no  Somno,  and  the  divide  is  possibly  very  pre- 
cipitous, I determined  to  at  least  try  the  Sapao,  especially 
as  its  apparent  course  seemed  to  meet  my  views  of  what  my 
general  direction  should  be. 

The  Rio  Sapao,  at  its  junction  with  the  Rio  Preto,  is  a 
slow'-flowing  stream,  about  fifty  feet  wide  and  tw'elve  feet 
deep,  and  if  it  extends  any  distance  with  this  quantity  and 
depth  of  water,  and  with  easy  gradients,  its  course  will  only 
require  a little  straightening  to  make  a good  natural  canal, 
but  I am  afraid  that  this  century  will  not  see  the  execution,  or 
even  necessity,  of  such  a work,  for  there  are  so  many  fertile 
lands  near  the  coast,  yet  to  be  developed,  before  these  central 
districts  are  likely  to  be  inhabited  and  cultivated  as  they 
should  be. 

Amongst  my  visitors  w'as  a strong,  well-built,  honest- 
looking  fellow,  Jose  Grosso  by  name  ; he  had  travelled  a good 


ii8 


Formosa  to  Santa  Maria, 


deal  in  Goyaz,  and  Piauhy,  and,  on  one  occasion,  had  alone 
explored  the  mysterious  Sapao  for  thirty  miles.  He  willingly 
accepted  an  invitation  to  join  my  party.  Rodrigues  looked 
at  him  in  wonderment,  as  a fool  about  to  unnecessarily  incur 
a great  risk.  I was  glad  to  have  Josd,  as  until  then,  my 
man  Bob  was  the  only  man  whom  I could  rely  upon  in  any 
emergency. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


FROM  THE  MOUTH  TO  THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RIO  SAl'AO. 

The  valley  of  the  Sapiio — No  more  roads — .Signs  of  game — The 
morasses  of  the  llurity  groves — First  night  in  the  wilds — Sandstone 
hills  of  the  Geraes — Picturesque  country — \"ampire  bats — Runaway 
animals — The  Geraes — Tree-lilies — Indications  of  saline  earth — 
glorious  country  for  a ride — Macaws — A night  alarm — .A  tapir — .V 
glen  of  sylvan  beauty — The  Cabeca  de  Frade,  a ground  cactus — .V 
grim  solitude — A phosphorescent  fungus,  flor  de  coco — Construction 
of  the  fort — .An  escape  from  a centipede — Deerstalking — .Ant-hills 
and  bees — Great  quantities  of  honey — The  Don  reports  signs  of 
Indians — Daybreak  in  camp — Fording  a morass — .A  novel  method  of 
deer-hunting — Indications  of  peccaries — A splendid  climate — Lovely 
nights — Abundance  of  game — The  swamp  of  the  Nove  Galhos — 
Head-quarters  of  the  peccaries — An  awkward  situation — Peccaries  v. 
dogs — .An  obstructed  route — The  valley  again — Preparations  to 
receive  the  enemy — The  camp — The  attack  of  the  peccaries — A 
tierce  onslaught — .A  wild,  weird  scene — .An  an.xious  moment — The 
retreat  of  the  peccaries — The  Don  becomes  deaf — The  garrison 
reinforced — The  battle  renewed — Rodrigues  trembles — .A  long  night 
of  excitement — The  siege  is  raised  after  great  loss  by  the  enemy — 
Description  of  the  peccaries — Corn  in  Egypt — Burity  wine — .A 
perplexing  sight — .A  beautiful  valley — -The  source  of  the  Sapao — .An 
interesting  geographical  discovery — Mysterious  green  grass — Pig- 
sticking— An  ant-bear  speared — The  ant-bear  described — Difficult 
travelling — Sufferings  of  the  mules — .An  ascent — The  lakes  of  the 

valley  of  the  w'atershed — The 
equal  altitude  of  flat- topped 
eminences — The  watershed 
of  the  Sao  Francisco  and  To- 
cantins— Denudation  of  the 
Western  country — A grand 
country  for  cattle-breeding — • 
A clump  of  Pindahibas. 

April  6. — A lovely  morn- 
ing, like  Devonshire 
Dartmoor  on  an  early 
summer  day,  found  us  all  ready  for  a start,  but  we 


An  enraged  peccary. 


120 


Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 


were  delayed  a few  hours  for  Jose  Grosso,  who  eventually 
arrived. 

We  had  travelled  but  a few  miles  up  the  south  bank  of 
the  Sapao,  when  it  became  evident  that  all  habitations  had 
ceased  ; there  were  no  more  tracks,  and  the  grass  in  the 
bottom  lands  was  so  tall  and  rank  that  it  was  very  difficult  to 
force  our  way  through  it,  and  now  the  tracks  of  many  animals 
became  hourly  more  frequent;  already  I had  noticed  the  spoor 
of  the  jaguar,  the  guard  or  red-wolf,  tapir,  capyvara,  deer, 
peccaries,  and  other  animals. 

In  all  my  travels  hitherto  in  Brazil,  I had  never  seen  such 
apparently  happy  hunting-grounds.  Rodrigues  duly  quaked 
at  the  signs.  After  a march  of  ten  miles,  we  came  across  a 
long  depression  that  extended  from  the  table-lands  to  the 
Sapao,  and  down  the  centre  of  it,  we  reluctantly  sighted 
long  avenues  of  Buritys,  pleasant  to  view  certainly  as  a 
picturesque  sight,  but  much  “ cussed  ” by  a traveller. 

These  palms  invariably  grow  in  boggy  land,  and  when  found 
thus  in  the  form  of  avenues,  they  indicate  the  presence  of  a 
deep  morass,  across  which  a horse  or  mule  cannot  pass 
without  danger  and  difficulty.  On  this  occasion,  in  searching 
for  a passage,  a pole  was  easily  driven  six  feet  into  the  soft 
black  soil,  so  we  gave  up  the  attempt  and  went  two  or  three 
miles  out  of  our  way  to  get  round  the  line  of  the  palms  that 
intersected  our  line  of  march  at  right  angles. 

This  place,  known  as  BrejCio  (a  large  swamp),  is  a cele- 
brated place  for  the  bats,  so  we  pushed  on  for  four  miles 
more,  and  arrived  at  sunset  at  what  Jose  called  Brejo  de 
Lama  (mud  swamp),  where  we  pitched  our  camp  amidst  the 
tall  grass  of  its  margins. 

During  this  day’s  march  in  this;  my  first  experience  of  the 
purely  and  simply  Brazilian  wilds,  I experienced  a degree  of 
exhilaration  and  enjoyment  I had  not  known  for  a long  time, 
I attributed  the  feeling  to  the  effects  of  the  wonderfully  pure 
healthy  atmosphere,  the  brightness  of  the  open  country’,  and 
the  prevailing  cool  fresh  breezes,  and  perhaps  very  largely 
to  an  excellent  state  of  health. 


Thk  X’allev  of  the  Sapao. 


I 2 I 


The  most  striking  features  of  the  valley  are  the  many 
glades,  or  rather  avenues  of  Buritys,  that  grow  almost  in- 
variably in  a straight  line,  the  distances  between  the  palms 
are  naturally  irregular,  but  the  long,  straight  avenues  make 
them  appear  as  though  they  were  planted  by  the  hand  of 
man. 

The  adjoining  morasses  that  fill  up  the  width  of  the  de- 
pressions, usually  from  lOO  to  200  yards  wide,  are  covered 
with  a bright  green  but  coarse  wiry  gra.ss,  unfit  even  for 
mules  to  graze  upon,  it  is  very  acrid  rough  and  hard,  and 
soon  creates  sores  upon  the  gums  of  the  animals. 

On  each  side  of  the  river,  from  a few  hundred  yards  to  one 
to  two  miles’  distance,  the  slopes,  or  walls  of  the  enclosing 
table-land  rise  up  in  cliffs  of  variously-coloured  sandstones, 
furrowed  by  deep  ravines  that  are  often  filled  with  bush  ; 
the  appearance  of  these  walls,  variegated  with  the  many 
colours  of  their  formation  (reds,  buffs,  yellows,  whites,  and 
greys),  in  contrast  with  the  bright  blue  sky,  the  bright  green 
■grass  and  palm  avenues  of  the  swamps,  and  the  tawny  brown 
yellow  of  the  cerrado-covered  surfaces  of  the  undulating 
hills  of  the  valley, — all,  hills,  cliffs,  and  marshes,  glowing  in  the 
fierce  sunshine,  and  droning  with  that  hum  of  insects,  peculiar 
to  marshes  steaming  under  a tropical  sun,  formed  such  pic- 
tures of  grand  compositions  of  colours  as  would  make  any 
artist’s  heart  rejoice. 

After  despatching  a frugal  dinner  of  dried  beef  {carnc 
sccca)  and  beans,  and  giving  the  mules  their  rations  of 
corn,  they  were  turned  loose  to  obtain  what  pasture  they 
could  find  from  the  young  shoots  of  bamboos,  of  which  there 
were  many  clumps  near.  Every  one  then  assumed  a re- 
cumbent position  on  hides  on  the  ground,  or  in  hammocks 
slung  to  the  trees.  Rodrigues  as  usual,  entertained  us  with 
his  fears  of  troubles  and  dangers  to  come,  until  we  all  dozed 
off  under  the  roof  of  the  bright  starry  sky. 

At  daybreak  we  breakfasted  whilst  the  men  went  in  search 
of  the  animals.  After  a long  delay,  they  return  and  report 
four  animals  are  mi-ssing  (and  those  that  they  had  found  were 


122 


Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 


freely  punctured  with  the  bites  of  the  bats)  : there  was  no 
remedy  but  to  again  send  off  the  men  to  hunt  for  them  and 
patience. 

Hour  after  hour  passed,  yet  neither  men  nor  animals 
arrived.  How  hot  and  weary  it  was,  thus  idly  waiting  in  the 
shadeless  sunlight,  for  the  trees  were  so  sparely  scattered,  and 
so  thinly  clad  with  foliage,  that  shade  there  was  none.  It 
was  not  until  2.30  that  the  men  returned  with  the  animals, 
and  3 p.m.  before  we  got  away  ; the  wretched  animals  had 
gone  back  in  the  night  to  Sta.  Maria,  with  the  probable  in- 
tention of  continuing  their  homeward  journey,  evidently 
disgusted  with  their  poor  pasture. 

That  day  we  did  not  accomplish  more  than  six  miles,  and 
camped  for  the  night  by  the  side  of  a morass,  to  which  the 
men  gave  the  name  of  Brejo  de  Lontra  (Otter  Swamp)  owing 
to  one  of  these  animals  paying  our  camp  a visit.  The  dogs 
gave  chase,  but  the  otter  took  refuge  in  the  waters  of  the 
marsh. 

The  next  morning,  during  the  usual  delay  in  getting  the 
animals  fed  and  harnessed,  Jo.se  and  I climbed  the  cliffs  of 
the  table-land,  whence,  perceiving  that  the  river  makes  a 
considerable  bend,  I determined  to  get  the  troop  on  to  the 
highlands,  and  thus  shorten  the  way. 

After  some  time  and  trouble  we  found  an  easy  a.sccnt  for 
the  animals,  and  proceeded  on  our  journey  in  what  to  me 
was  another  new  world,  “ The  Gcracs  of  Goyaz.”  Far 
as  could  be  discerned  the  land  extends  flat  as  a table,  not 
the  slightest  undulation  is  perceptible  ; the  sandy  loose  soil 
is  sparely  covered  with  tufts  of  grey-green  thin  wiry  grass,  a 
few  gnarled  and  distorted  cork-trees,  and  great  numbers  of  the 
strange  tree-lily  ( Vellozid)  or  CancHa  d’Fma,  blooming  with 
beautiful  mauve-coloured  flowers  at  the  end  of  each  branch  ; in 
form  the  plant  resembles  a candelabra,  but  in  composition,  to 
no  production  of  the  vegetable  world  ; the  branches  and  stem 
consist  as  it  were  of  a number  of  deep  cups,  placed  one  within 
the  other,  strung  upon  a hard  and  tough  i)ithy  stem  that  runs 


Tree-lilies. 


through  the  centre.  (There  is  a very  good  dried  specimen 
in  the  British  Museum.)  This  plant  is  peculiarly  charac- 
teristic of  these  geracs,  or  tabolciros,  as  they  are  variously 
termed.'  Gardner  mentions  the  same  plant  in  \\\c  taboieiros 
of  Diamantina,  Piauhy,  and  Goyaz.' 

iL'h&sQ  geraes  are  a glorious  place  for  a gallop,  and  in  their 
e.xhilarating  atmosphere  one  feels  radiant  with  crude  health  that 
however  develops  such  an  appetite,  and  perhaps  a drinketite, 
that  in  the  solitude  of  the  far-extending  pathless  plain  he 
experiences  an  imaginary  mirage  of  pleasant  English  country 
road-side  inns,  and  conjures  up  visions  of  the  good  things 
to  be  found  therein. 

On  the  ascent  of  the  table-land  I noticed  one  or  two  salt- 
licks, showing  numerous  traces  of  various  animals.  If  this 
saline  earth  could  be  utilized,  it  would  prove  immensely 
valuable,  for  salt  is  relatively  the  most  costly  article  of  con- 
sumption of  the  interior  of  Brazil,  the  greater  part  of  it  being 
transported  at  great  labour  and  expense  from  the  sea-coast. 
Rio  de  Janeiro  is  mainly  supplied  from  the  Canary  Island-^, 
and  forwards  the  salt  to  the  distant  interiors  of  Minas  Geraes 
and  Goyaz. 

Numerous  pairs  of  macaws  passed  us  flying,  and  made  the 
wilderness  resound  with  their  loud  di.scordant  screeches.  These 
birds  are  particularly  fond  of  the  fruit  of  the  Burity,  and  a 
salt-lick  is  a great  attraction  to  them  ; they  delight  also  in 
rolling  themselves  in  the  sand,  for  which  purpose  the  streams 
and  geraes  of  this  district  are  adapted. 

But  excepting  these  birds,  there  is  nothing  else  to  break 
the  grim  solitude  and  silence  of  these  wilds,  and  although 
there  are  certainly  plenty  of  indications  of  game,  hitherto  I 
had  not  been  able  to  see  any.  But  Jose  and  Don  Quixote 
craved  my  patience  for  a little  longer. 

* Thereare  several  known  and  described  species  of  this  strange  plant, but 
the  largest  size  hitherto  known  does  not  attain  a greater  height  than  four 
to  five  feet,  whereas  those  of  the  Sapao  varied  from  the  small  young 
plant  to  fully  matured  ones  of  eight  or  nine  feet  high. 


Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 


1 24 

Our  camp  that  night  was  pitched  in  an  open  grass-land 
where  the  rank  coarse  grass  was  inconveniently  high  and 
suggestive  of  an  ambuscade,  so  at  least  Rodrigues  remarked. 
In  the  comparative  absence  of  pasture  for  the  animals,  I now 
appreciated  the  wisdom  of  the  advice  I received  at  Formosa 
to  bring  the  two  loads  of  maize. 

Around  the  camp-fire  in  the  evening,  I thought  Don 
Quixote  would  fairly  have  brought  poor  Rodrigues  into  a 
delirium  of  fright  with  his  anecdotes  of  the  district ; even 
stolid  Jose  added  his  quota  to  the  agony  of  the  poor  man. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  were  aroused  by  the  dogs  starting 
off  with  loud  barks  into  the  surrounding  darkness  ; this  was 
enough  for  Rodrigues,  he  wildly  arose  and  shouted,  “As 
annas,  rapaziadas,  as  annas,  as  tapuias,  ai  ! Meo  Deos ! von 
niorrer"  (To  arms,  boys,  to  arms,  the  Indians,  ah  ! Meo  Dcos  ! 
I shall  die),— discharged  his  gun  wildly  in  the  darkness, 
and  of  course  created  a great  confusion  amongst  his  own 
men,  who  all  did  the  same  before  we  could  prevent  them. 
Expostulation  was  vain,  until  Jose  delivered  a well-planted 
kick,  that  brought  the  timorous  man  to  his  senses. 

The  dogs  eventually  returned,  and  in  the  morning  we  found 
the  tracks  of  a tapir  that  had  passed  near  the  camp  and 
caused  the  alarm.  Rodrigues  looked  foolish  and  crestfallen, 
and  I hoped  the  absurd  lesson  would  be  beneficial  ; he  was 
well  laughed  at,  and  that  has  more  effect  on  these  people 
than  any  reprimands. 

April  %th. — A happy  start  was  made  this  morning  early, 
and  eventually  we  covered  twenty-four  miles  ; the  route  went 
principally  over  the  gcracs,  and  occasionally  w'c  had  to 
descend  and  cross  some  of  the  many  tributaries  of  the  Sapao, 
cither  marsh  or  rivulets. 

One  stream,  which  we  baptized  Riacho  do  Salto,  after  a 
])retty  waterfall  in  its  course,  was  a gem  of  sylvan  beauty. 
A bubbling  stream  of  purest  water,  tumbling  over  lichen  and 
moss-covered  boulders,  through  a little  paradise  of  some  of 
the  most  beautiful  vegetation  of  the  tropics,  tree-ferns,  and 


125 


The  Caheqa  de  Frade  Cactus. 

clumps  of  arborescent  grasses,  palms  of  many  kinds,  orchids, 
and  bromelias  in  full  flower,  mossy  banks,  and  many  varieties 
of  ferns,  the  whole  gracefully  festooned  by  lianas  and  vines, 
and  to  give  further  brilliancy,  myriads  of  bright  butterflies, 
and  several  humming-birds  added  their  flashing  colours  to 
the  bright  and  picturesque  surroundings. 

We  rested  here  at  mid-day;  even  my  companions,  who 
had  no  more  appreciation  of  the  beauties  of  nature  than  is 
usually  found  wanting  in  the  Brazilian  countryman,  even  they 
expressed  it  as  minta  bonita"  {\cxy  pretty),  and  men  and 
animals  had  a good  bath  before  again  proceeding. 

The  rest  of  the  day’s  march  showed  the  usual  features  of 
the  gcracs,  except  that  ground-palms,  and  a ground-cactus, 
cahcc^a  de  fradc^  became  more  frequent,  the  latter  incon- 
veniently so  for  the  men  on  foot.  It  is  like  the  top  of  a ball, 
about  nine  or  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  ribbed  like  a melon, 
and  raised  above  the  ground  only  an  inch  or  two  ; its  surface 
is  thickly  covered  with  long  and  strong  spines,  and  as  it  is 
difficult  to  notice  amongst  the  tufts  of  grass,  it  is  very 
dangerous  ; fortunately  the  men  were  cautious,  and  met  no 
accident.  Cattle  and  horses  are  said  to  be  very  fond  of  its 
fleshy  interior,  and  soon  learn  to  tread  down  the  spines  with 
their  hoofs. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  camped  by  the  side  of  a wood 
near  the  Sapfio,  to  whose  neighbourhood  we  had  again 
descended  in  quest  of  water  for  the  camp. 

The  locality  was  very  grim  and  solitary  ; near  us  a thick 
wood  cast  its  shadows  over  the  hollow  in  .which  we  were 
camped  ; tall  rank  grass  covered  the  ground  ; the  Sapfio 
flowed  sluggishly  by  without  a gurgle,  looking  as  it  wound 
its  way  between  its  groves  of  Buritys,  like  a veritable 
black  Styx.  Right  and  left  of  it,  in  the  now  much 
narrowed  valley,  reared  up  high  above  us  the  dark  outline  of 
the  slopes  of  the  taboleiros,  whose  deep  shadows  added  to  the 
murkiness  of  the  locality ; the  men’s  voices  almost  became 
- Melocactus  or  Echinocacius. 


126  Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 

painful  in  the  intense  stillness  and  silence.  The  men  with 
bated  breath  said,  “ Que  higar feia”  (what  an  ugly  place),  and 
dubbed  it  brejo  esciiro  (the  dark  swamp). 

Amidst  the  surrounding  darkness  of  the  night  there  was 
noticeable  a large  pale-blue  light,  and  on  going  to  examine 
what  it  might  arise  from,  I found  it  to  be  a phosphorescent 
fungus  growing  upon  the  base  of  a dwarf  palm.  It  is  known 
as  the  jlor  de  coco  {Fungus  phosphoricus') . 

At  this  camp  we  built  a trincheira'^  of  the  saddles  and 
baggage  by  piling  them  up  in  the  form  of  a hollow  square, 
an  excellent  defence  against  the  peccaries  or  other  enemies. 
Arms  were  loaded,  cartridges  served  out,  and  watches  arranged 
for  the  night. 

As  we  lay  on  the  ground  around  the  fire,  some  on  hides 
or  cloaks,  the  bright  light  on  one  side,  and  behind  and  all 
around  the  black  shadows  of  night,  I thought  what  excellent 
targets  we  should  make  for  any  wandering The  night, 
however,  passed  uneventfully,  without  even  a bark  from  the 
dogs. 

During  the  night,  feeling  something  wriggling  in  my  boot, 
I made  a sleepy  movement,  and  the  insect,  whatever  it  was, 
moved  out.  In  the  morning,  in  rolling  up  my  rug,  a huge 
centipede  was  found  coiled  up  in  the  folds.  I e.xpect  it  was 
the  visitor  to  my  leg ; if  so,  I had  a fortunate  escape  from  its 
poisonous  claws. 

This  morning  the  indispensable  leather  water-bottle  was 
missing  ; that  caused  another  delay  whilst  two  men  returned 
over  yesterday’s  trail  to  find  it. 

I availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  go  with  the  Don  on 
the  geraes  in  quest  of  some  change  of  diet,  leaving  Jo.se 
Grosso  in  charge  of  the  camp. 

After  a short  but  sharp  scramble  up  the  face  of  the  nearest 
cliffs,  we  arrived  at  the  summit,  where  the  flat  expanse  of  the 
geraes  opened  out  to  our  view.  Almost  the  first  objects  we 
discerned  were  a buck  and  doe,  and  as  the  little  wind  was 
^ Literally,  a trench. 


Ant-hills  and  Bees. 


1 27 

towards  us,  they  had  not  yet  perceived  our  presence.  We 
worked  our  way  through  the  tall  grass  until  within  easy 
range,  and  easily  bagged  our  game  ; at  the  same  time, 
Antonio  pointed  to  me  the  antlers  of  a numerous  herd 
scampering  off  through  the  grass.  However,  we  were  not  on 
a hunting  expedition,  and  were  contented  with  our  prcy,a  small 
species  of  deer,  almost  gazelles  in  the  appearance  of  their 
delicate  proportions,  beautiful  heads  and  bright  full  beaming 
eyes  ; they  are  known  as  the  galhciro  and  cantpeira*  the  buck 
and  doc  of  the  campos  or  plains.  Small  as  the  deer  were, 
mine  at  least  soon  became  an  increasing  load  as  we  staggered 
back  to  camp,  perspiring  under  the  already  hot  sun,  and 
stumbling  amongst  the  boulders  and  tall  grass  of  the  descent, 
where  we  were  away  from  the  pleasant  breeze.  I thought  of 
the  glory  of  marching  into  camp  with  my  bag,  but  every 
moment  that  gazelle  apparently  became  heavier,  and  I had 
to  give  up  my  gratification  and  send  a man  to  fetch  it. 

That  day's  march  was  up  the  valle}',  as  the  table-lands  did 
not  offer  any  means  of  ascent  for  the  animals  ; a notable 
feature  of  the  day  was  the  great  number  of  ant-hills,  four  to 
six  or  seven  feet  high,  constructed  of  clay  originally  by  a 
species  of  white  ant,  but  then  occupied — certainly  one  out  of 
every  three — by  the  abelha  de  cttpivi  (bee  of  the  white  ants). 
These  bees  had  turned  the  ants  out  of  their  quarters  and 
domiciled  themselves  in  their  place.  Without  exaggeration  I 
believ'e  many  tons  of  honey  could  be  collected  from  these 
mounds  ; in  one  hill  alone  we  extracted  sufficient  to  satisfy 
the  appetites  of  every  one — even  the  mules  had  their  .share. 
The  honey  is  found  in  little  compact  balls  of  delicate  black 
wax,  about  one  and  a half  inch  in  diameter ; each  ball  is 
separate  and  distinct  from  its  neighbour,  and  the  honey  is 
most  excellent  in  flavour.  The  bees  of  course  flew  about  us, 
but  were  perfectly  harmless  ; they  are  small  and  black,  not 
much  bigger  than  a house-fly  ; the  mystery  is  how'  they  can 
conquer  and  drive  off  the  white  ants  ; perhaps  many  a battle 
• ^ Mazama  campestris  ? 


128  Up  the  Valley  of  the  SapAo. 

was  fought  before  they  gave  up  possession ; however,  the 
bees  were  evidently  masters  of  the  situation.  Several  dozens 
of  the  mounds  were  examined,  and  more  than  a third  were 
occupied  by  the  beesj  but  only  on  two  or  three  occasions 
was  the  same  mound  found  occupied  jointly  by  the  bees 
and  ants. 

The  land  passed  over  this  day,  was  alternately  the  low 
marshy  land  immediately  adjoining  the  river,  or  the  gently 
undulating  thin  cerrado-covered  hills  separating  it  from  the 
slopes  of  the  table-land  ; but  many  a wearisome  detour  had 
to  be  made  round  the  hurity  swamps  that  continually  inter- 
sected the  route. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  a stream  flowing  from 
apparently  a long  way  in  the  gcraes,  where  we  camped.  This 
stream  we  called  Riberao  do  Veado,  in  commemoration  of  our 
excellent  dinner  of  roast  venison  ; the  flesh  was  very  palatable, 
and  formed  an  agreeable  change  to  our  diet. 

After  dinner  Antonio  called  me  aside,  and  gave  me  the  un- 
pleasant news  that  Indians  were  in  the  neighbourhood  ; he 
came  to  that  conclusion  by  noticing  a bees’-nest  that  had 
been  taken,  and  had  also  seen  the  footprints  of  Indians.  I 
a.sked  him  why  he  did  not  show  me  at  the  time  ; he  replied 
that  he  did  not  want  to  frighten  me  then,  but  thought  after- 
wards he  had  better  tell  me.  I had  a good  suspicion  that 
tlie  old  Don  was  trying  on  me  the  effects  of  his  imagination. 
I took  council  with  Jose,  who  looked  grave  and  thought  it 
might  be  so,  but  did  not  believe  it.  I had  to  tell  the  old  Don 
that  if  he  tried  any  practical  jokes  of  that  kind,  I would  dock 
a meal  or  two.  He  swore  by  all  the  saints  that  he  was 
speaking  the  truth.  We  made  our  usual  preparations,  but 
the  night  passed  happily  without  incident, 

April  10. — With  what  a sense  of  relief  a traveller  in  these 
geraes  awakes  in  the  morning,  and  finds  all  his  animals  in 
camp  munching  their  corn  ; and  after  the  damp  dewy  night, 
with  beard  and  rugs  ringing  wet  with  the  heavy  night-dews, 
how  acceptable  is  the  hot  coffee  in  the  early  twilight,  when 


N ovi;l  I )i:kr-stalk  FN(;, 


1 29 

the  {jround  is  wet,  and  grass  and  foliage  jewelled  with  dew- 
drops,  and  light  puffy  clouds  of  mist  here  and  there  veil 
the  views  of  grass-land  and  shrub,  and  curl  in  drifting 
wreaths  amidst  the  noble  colonnades  of  the  buritys.  It  is 
very  nice  to  read  about,  is  this  camping  out  in  the  open  ; but 
the  feeling  in  the  morning  on  awakening  is  grubbiness,  damp- 
ness, and  soreness.  But,  next  to  the  coffee,  is  the  enjoyment 
of  a good  bath,  and  this  the  Riberao  afforded  to  perfection — 
glorious  cool  clear  water,  pellucid  as  air. 

We  ascended  the  Riberao  for  a mile  or  two,  until  we  found 
a crossing,  and  then  struck  across  the  gcracs  parallel  with 
the  course  of  the  Sapao.  At  mid-day  we  crossed  another 
stream,  or  rather  burityzal ; although  the  ground  was  soft,  a 
passage  was  made  by  spreading  in  a line  on  the  swamp  the 
raw'-hide  covers  of  the  pack-.saddles,  over  which  w'c  drove  the 
animals  at  a run.  As  it  was  necessary  to  make  occasional 
observations  in  the  Sapao  valley,  our  course  was  again 
directed  towards  the  river. 

During  the  day  we  bagged  three  more  deer.  On  one 
occasion  I tried  an  experiment  that  I had  seen  Antonio  prac- 
tise, namely  in  enveloping  myself  from  head  to  foot  in  my 
cloak,  and  advancing  boldly  towards  a herd  of  deer.  They 
gazed  at  me  for  some  time  in  startled  w'onderment,  and 
actually  approached  me.  I was  taking  a steady  aim  with  my 
revolver,  when  Feroz  and  Pensamento  dashed  past  me  after 
the  game  ; of  course  the  herd  was  off  like  the  wind,  and  the 
dogs  soon  returned,  evidently  wondering  w'here  the  deer  had 
disappeared  to. 

I rode  on  ahead  with  the  Don,  leaving  our  track  clearly 
marked  in  the  tall  grass.  On  the  way  we  killed  two  more 
deer,  and  might  have  secured  others,  but  it  w'ould  have  beei 
mere  slaughter,  as  we  had  sufficient  for  our  requirements  for 
some  days. 

About  mid-day  we  struck  the  head-springs  of  a burityzal 
running  into  the  Sapao.  There  we  awaited  the  troop,  that 
soon  arrived,  halted,  and  breakfasted.  We  found  plenty  of 

VOL.  II.  K 


130 


Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 


signs  of  peccaries,  so  much  so  that  I began  to  credit  their 
existence  ; the  grass  was  worn  into  many  paths  by  their  feet, 
and  pools  of  water  were  still  disturbed  where  they  had 
apparently  only  lately  revelled.  This  we  christened  Brejo  do 
Diogo. 

The  Don  and  I again  pushed  on  ahead,  this  time  over  a 
clear  open  sandy  campos,  very  thinly  covered  with  scattered 
tufts  of  thin  wiry  grass,  and  occasionally  a few  canella  d’evia 
trees,  and  cabe^a  de  frnde  cactii.  We  rode  on  for  about  six 
miles,  and  saw  ahead  a long  valley  extending  from  the  ^eraes 
into  the  Sapuo,  and  so  thickly  studded  with  burity  palms  that 
it  was  evident  there  would  be  no  alternative  but  to  ascend  its 
course  until  a crossing  could  be  found,  for  in  these  burityzals 
the  width  and  depth  of  the  morass  is  always  in  proportion  to 
the  density  of  growth  of  the  palms ; the  closer  they  are  to- 
gether, the  more  impassable  is  the  swamp.  I calculated  we 
were  then  five  miles  from  the  Sapuo,  and  it  would  have  been 
no  use  to  descend  the  bnrityzal,  as  the  likelihood  of  a crossing 
lower  down  is  always  less. 

We  eventually  camped  by  the  side  of  this  swamp. 

In  that  clear  and  healthy  atmosphere  and  daily  exercise 
we  w'cre  fortunately  all  in  excellent  health  ; and  our  fare, 
although  of  the  roughest  kind,  was  never  more  enjoyed  by  any 
foxhuntcr  after  a good  day’s  run  after  the  hounds.  Those 
evenings,  never  shall  I forget  them,  as  we  reposed  on  the 
ground  by  the  camp-fire  on  hides  or  rugs,  and  listened  to  the 
stories  of  the  Don  under  the  clear  starlit  heavens,  and  the 
pure  cool  atmosphere.  As  none  of  the  anticipated  evils  had  yet 
appeared,  the  men  were  becoming  more  reconciled,  excepting 
of  course,  Rodrigues,  who  I believe  imagined  that  every  tree 
on  the  horizon  was  a prowling  Indian  in  search  of  his  blood. 

We  were  off  soon  after  daybreak  ; I rode  on  up  the  valley 
ahead  with  the  Don  and  Bob,  in  quest  of  a crossing.  We  had 
ridden  but  a short  distance,  when  we  saw  that  at  last  we  had 
reached  the  happy  hunting-grounds  we  had  heard  so  much  of. 
h'ir.st  we  sighted  a few  deer,  then,  fiirllier  on,  they  became 


AliUN’DANCK  OF  GaME.  I3I 

quite  numerous.  Suddenly  the  Don  excitedly  called  my 
attc^ition  to  two  small  black  animals  scampering  across  the 
low  grass  of  the  marsh  ahead.  " Porcos  ! porcos!"  said  he  ; 
the  peccaries,  however,  soon  disappeared  out  of  sight.  About 
500  yards  from  us  was  a herd  of  seven  deer  ; the  Don  could 
i stay  no  longer  ; he  said  he  must  have  a shot.  This  time, 

I after  enveloping  his  head  in  a red  handkerchief,  he  crawled 
towards  the  animals  on  his  hands  and  knees,  bobbing  his  head 
up  and  down  as  he  advanced.  A fine  buck  left  his  family  to 
inquire  into  the  nature  of  his  strange  visitor.  I saw  the  Don 
I take  aim  with  that  wonderful  gun  of  his,  a puff  of  blue  smoke 
1 arose  from  the  neighbourhood  of  his  shoulder,  and  then 
another  from  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  and  the  graceful  animal 
1 fell.  Bob  and  I afterwards  went  after  another  herd,  but  we 
could  not  get  within  range  ; the  news  was  evidently  spreading 
' amongst  the  deer  that  a “ chiel  ” was  amongst  them. 

We  eventually  came  across  the  traces  of  all  the  animals 
to  be  found  in  these  regions,  even  jaguars  and  ant-bears. 

We  had  to  travel  quite  seven  miles  from  our  camp  before 
we  found  any  possible  crossing  of  the  swamp,  so  wide  and 
deep  was  the  morass  ; in  fact,  we  bad  to  go  to  the  source  of 
the  water  at  the  foot  of  the  scarped  hills  of  the  table-land, 
where  we  found  a meeting  of  no  less  than  nine  different 
morasses,  each  one  complete  with  its  avenue  of  palms.  What 
. a wonderful  scene  it  was  ! 

It  became  necessary  to  round  every  one  of  these  branches, 
i,  for  we  were  down  in  the  deep  narrow  valley,  where  the 
j slopes  of  the  table-land  surrounded  us  like  a wall,  up  which 

there  was  no  visible  ascent.  The  tall  rank  grass  was  also 

littered  with  boulders  of  sandstone  and  short  gnarled  and 
' distorted  cork-trees  ; it  was  a toilsome  march  for  both  men 
i and  animals,  but  there,  certainly  must  be  the  headquarters  of 
all  the  peccaries  of  the  region,  for  everywhere  the  ground  was 
furrowed  and  rooted  up,  the  grass  trodden  down  in  long 
lanes,  the  pools  of  water  turbid  from  their  wallowing,  and 

; the  place  odorous  as  a rank  pigsty ; and  yet,  strange  to 

I K 2 


132 


Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 


say,  not  a pig  was  to  be  seen,  fortunately  for  us ; for  in 
such  an  inconvenient  place  an  attack  from  these  vicious 
animals  in  the  numbers  they  could  evidently  collect  would 
have  enabled  them  to  take  us  at  great  disadvantage. 

We  pushed  on  the  animals  to  get  out  of  this  pig-set  man- 
trap,  and  eventually  got  clear  of  the  labyrinth  on  the  further 
side  of  the  last  feeder  of  the  main  morass,  and,  after  some 
difficulty,  found  an  ascent  on  to  the  ^eraes,  where  we  made  a 
bee-line  to  the  Sapao  across  the  flats. 

During  the  passage  of  the  swamps  the  Don  said, — 

“ Ah  ! Senhor  Doctor,  what  a shame  to  leave  such  a lovely 
place  ; if  \-ou  and  I were  only  here  to-night,  what  fun  we 
would  have  with  the  pfeccaries  ; but,  patience,  they  will  make 
us  a visit  to-night  because  of  the  trail  of  the  dogs.” 

But  neither  time  nor  place  would  permit  of  carrying  out  the 
Don’s  desires,  as  there  was  neither  water  nor  pasture  for  the 
animals.  The  Don’s  remark  about  the  peccaries  paying  us  a 
visit  is  owing  to  a popular  belief  that  these  animals,  when  in 
considerable  numbers,  will  follow  a dog’s  trail  for  many  miles, 
and  attack  and  kill  him.  In  fact,  it  is  customary  with  the 
hunters  to  imitate  the  barking  of  a dog  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  pigs,  and  induce  them  to  collect  together  and 
make  an  attack  ; when,  the  hunters  being  safely  ensconced  in 
trees,  the  game  is  perfectly  safe,  as  the  men  have  only  to 
shoot  what  they  require. 

The  ground  traversed  that  afternoon  was  not  so  free  from 
bush  as  we  had  hitherto  found,  being  in  many  places  thickly 
covered  with  dense  cerrado  (abounding  in  immense  quan- 
tities of  the  indiarubber-producing  Mangaba-tree),  where 
progress  was  very  slow  and  difficult,  and  required  the  free 
use  of  our  wood-knives.  After  a long  and  wearisome  march, 
we  reached  the  valley  of  the  Sap.To  again,  quite  eight  miles 
from  the  peccaries’  haunt. 

I found  the  river  valley  prc.scnted  much  the  same  charac- 
teristics as  we  had  found  lower  down.  For  the  purposes 
of  a railway  it  is  admirable;  the  gradients  are  practically 


Preparations  to  Receive  the  Enemy.  133 

level,  and  the  only  works  of  art  required  would  be  in 
crossing  the  many  biirity  swamps  that  intersect  the  route, 
and  these,  although  numerous,  are  narrow. 

Even  the  Rio  Sapao  itself  could  doubtless  be  made  into 
a good  canal,  in  the  absence  of  a railway,  for  there  is  plenty 
of  water,  and  the  ground  offers  great  facilities  for  straightening 
its  course. 

Especial  care  was  taken  in  preparing  the  camp  that  night. 
The  Don  and  Jose  superintended  the  operation  of  construct- 
ing the  fort,  the  sides  of  which  were  further  protected  by 
spreading  over  them  the  hides  used  for  covering  the  packs  of 
the  mules.  Bush  was  also  cut  to  make  up  and  enlarge  the 
defences,  and  a strong  stake  was  driven  into  the  ground 
inside  the  fort  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  dogs  in  case 
the  peccaries  arrived.  The  camp  was  made  on  the  borders 
of  a clump  of  trees,  to  which  we  were  enabled  to  sling  the 
hammocks,  no  one  caring  to  sleep  on  terra  firma  that  night, 
but  two  of  the  men  who  were  unprovided  with  hammocks 
spread  their  hides  on  the  ground  inside  the  fort. 

After  dinner,  of  course,  peccaries  formed  the  sole  subject  of 
conversation,  but  hour  after  hour  went  by,  yet  no  signs  of 
their  presence  appeared  ; and,  after  arranging  the  watches 
for  the  night,  we  turned  in,  and  with  the  fatigues  of  the  day 
I was  soon  asleep. 

It  appeared  to  me,  however,  that  I had  barely  closed  my 
eyes,  when  I felt  my  hammock  violently  shaken.  It  was 
the  Don  awakening  me,  saying,  "Wake  up,  here  are  the 
we  are  going  to  have  some  fun.”  The  first  peculiarity 
that  struck  me  was  the  prevalence  of  the  odour  of  old  pig- 
sties. I sat  up,  looked  around  and  listened.  The  pitchy 
blackne.ss  of  night  surrounded  us,  but  the  fire  burning  brightly, 
sent  its  flickering  light  upon  the  tree-trunks,  the  foliage,  and 
the  hammocks  ; two  men  were  in  the  fort  with  gun  and 
knife  in  hand,  and  the  dogs  tied  to  their  stake  were  with 
difficulty  kept  quiet,  and  vented  their  excitement  in  deep 
growls.  As  I listened  it  became  evident  that  we  were  sur- 


134 


Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 


rounded  by  some  animals,  for  in  many  directions  was  heard 
in  the  stillness  of  night,  the  sound  of  bodies  moving  through 
the  bush,  twigs  snapping,  grass  rustling,  &c.  It  was  a moment 
of  suspense,  but  not  for  long  ; for  suddenly,  from  all  around 
us,  came  a blood-curdling  sound  of  the  simultaneous  snapping 
of  teeth  from  vast  numbers  of  the  enemy,  followed  by  the 
appearance  of  a crowd  of  charging  black  animals,  rushing 
with  wonderful  speed  towards  a common  centre,  the  fort. 
We  in  the  hammocks  each  lighted  a coil  of  wax  tapers  that 
were  prepared  ready  for  the  occasion.  And  what  a scene 
ensued!  the  fire  was  rapidly  scattered,  and  partly  extinguished; 
under  and  around  us  was  a seething  mass  of  black  peccaries, 
barely  distinguishable  in  the  dim  light,  but  all  pushing  and 
struggling  to  the  front  ; the  men  in  the  fort  had  discharged 
their  weapons,  and  were  hard  at  work  hacking  and  thrusting 
at  the  peccaries  as  they  endeavoured  to  swarm  up  the  smooth 
surface  of  the  hides  that  covered  the  sides  of  the  fort.  The 
men  in  the  hammocks,  after  discharging  their  guns,  reached 
down  and  slashed  with  their  knives  at  the  swarming  animals 
below  them.  The  attack  was  more  like  the  wild  reckless 
bravery  of  the  Arabs  of  the  Soudan,  for  as  pig  after  pig  fell 
squealing  and  disabled,  scores  more  struggled  for  his  place. 
The  faint  light  of  the  tapers  and  the  partly  extinguished  fire 
served  but  to  dimly  illuminate  the  elements  of  the  strange 
noisy  wildly  weird  scene ; the  trunks  of  the  surrounding 
trees  and  their  foliage  ; the  swinging  hammocks  with  their 
occupants  reaching  downwards,  cutting  and  thrusting  with 
their  long  gleaming  knives  ; the  dim  figures  of  the  men  in  the 
trinchcria,  repelling  with  shouts  and  thrusts  the  swarming 
enemy;  the  wild  rushing  charging  forms  of  the  black  bodies 
of  the  peccaries,  as  in  great  numbers  they  threw  themselves 
against  the  fort,  regardless  of  being  struck  down  one  after 
the  other,  and  always  impelled  forwards  by  those  in  the  rear 
struggling  to  the  front,  others  made  ineffectual  attempts  to 
reach  our  hammocks  or  viciously  gashed  the  trees  that  gave 
us  support ; the  extremely  disagreeable  and  nauseous  odours 


TIIK  CAMI'  STOKMICI)  IIY  I’ECCA  Kl  KS. 


A Fierce  Onsi.augiit. 


135 


of  the  animals,  their  snapping  of  teeth  like  musketry  file- 
firing, the  reports  of  the  firearms,  the  shouts  of  the  men,  the 
howling  and  barking  of  the  dogs,  and  the  dim  light,  created 
aji  indescribably  strange  and  exciting  scene.  Every  bullet  of 
my  revolver  took  effect.  I shouted  to  the  men  to  reserve 
their  fire,  and  fire  volleys,  but  it  was  like  talking  in  a gale  of 
wind  at  sea. 

In  spite  of  all  efforts,  still  the  battle  raged.  The  animals 
appeared  to  be  in  immense  numbers,  for  as  far  as  the  faint  light 
would  permit,  the  ground  was  seen  covered  with  their  moving 
bodies,  rushing,  struggling,  the  strongest  beating  down  the 
weakest,  grunting,  squealing,  and  snapping  their  teeth  ; and 
noticeable  above  everything  was  the  abominable  e.xhalations 
from  their  bodies,  an  odour  like  a combination  of  rank  butter 
and  garlic.  . 

I was  getting  anxious  not  only  for  my  baggage,  but  for 
the  men  behind  the  fort,  who  had  to  cut  and  thrust  like 
madmen  ; the  excitement  was  intense.  The  strong  raw  hides 
were  ripped  up  as  though  slashed  with  a sharp  knife,  and  the 
bags  of  beans  and  farinha  were  freely  streaming  their  contents 
on  the  ground  from  innumerable  rippings  from  the  keen  sharp 
tusks. 

Although  we  in  the  hammocks  were  quite  safe,  the  fort 
was  trembling  ; many  of  the  saddles  and  bags  had  been  dis- 
placed by  the  sheer  pressure  of  the  enemy.  Our  few  mise- 
rable firearms  appeared  to  have  no  more  effect  than  so  many 
popguns,  although  the  ground  was  becoming  strewn  with 
the  bodies  of  the  slain  and  disabled.  At  last  I succeeded  in 
getting  the  men  in  the  hammocks  to  fire  volleys  at  a given 
place,  and  after  a time  this  appeared  to  have  an  effect,  for  as 
suddenly  as  the  attack  commenced,  so  it  ceased  ; and  the 
animals  withdrew  simultaneously  and  in  silence. 

The  Don  (his  voice  chuckling  with  glee)  called  to  us  to  « 

get  ready  again  as  they  would  probably  return.  “ Ah  ! ” 
said  he  to  m.e  in  a low  voice,  “ what  a splendid  time  we  are 
having ! ” I thought,  however,  of  the  men  in  the  fort,  one  of 


136  Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 

whom  was  stanching  blood  from  his  wrist.  I told  the  Don 
to  go  and  reinforce  them;  but  suddenly  the  Don  became 
very  deaf ; he  was  very  snug  in  his  hammock  and  really  could 
not  hear  me;  but  Jose,  like  a good  fellow,  got  out,  ran  for 
the  fort,  jumped  in,  and  helped  the  men  to  make  good  the 
damages.  We  could  still  hear  the  pigs  in  the  bush,  and 
pre.sently,  without  a moment’s  warning,  we  again  heard  that 
diabolical  crash  of  teeth  from  a complete  circle  around  us, 
followed  immediately  by  another  wild  charge,  and  the  battle 
was  again  renewed  with  all  its  hurly-burly  ; but  then,  after 
the  first  flush  of  excitement  we  became  cooler,  and  Jose  in 
the  fort  was  a host  in  himself  ; this  attack  was  of  much  shorter 
duration,  and  the  enemy  once  more  suddenly  retreated.  In 
the  pause  that  ensued  I thought  of  Rodrigues,  as  it 
then  occurred  to  me  that  I had  not  hitherto  noticed  him  ; 
his  hammock  was  quite  still,  and  its  edges  drawn  together 
over  his  body  that  formed  a round  ball-like  protuberance  in 
the  centre.  I saw  it  all,  and  could  picture  the  poor  terror- 
stricken  man,  coiled  up,  with  blanched  face  and  bated  breath 
and  making  himself  as  small  as  possible.  The  men  in  the 
fort  had  behaved  very  pluckily. 

Six  or  seven  other  attacks  eventually  followed,  but  each 
one  became  weaker,  and  the  intervals  between  of  longer  dura- 
tion. The  eventful  night  seemed  interminable,  and  finally  it 
was  not  until  near  daybreak  that  we  heard  the  last  grunt. 

At  the  first  lights  of  grey  dawn  Jose  proposed  to  reconnoitre, 
and  went  off  for  the  purpose.  At  first  he  proceeded  very 
gingerly  from  tree  to  tree.  I proposed  to  myself  to  go  also, 
but  just  at  that  moment  I had  a fellow-feeling  for  the  Don’s 
deafness,  and  thought  what  a comfortable  place  a hammock 
was,  and  that  really  I could  do  no  good  ; and  further  I re- 
membered that  generals  should  always  occupy  high  com- 
manding positions  ; pveryone  was  chary  of  moving  from  their 
places  of  security. 

Josd  soon  afterwards  returned,  and  reported  that  the  enemy 
had  finally  withdrawn. 


Tiik  Peccary  Descriped. 


137 


Thoughts  of  the  horses  and  mules  then  occurred  to  us,  and 
we  anxiously  awaitcil  their  arrival,  for  they  had  acquired  the 
habit  of  appearing  in  camp  of  their  own  accord  in  the  early 
morning  for  their  matutinal  feed  of  corn.  Thankfully  I saw 
three  or  four  soon  after  arrive,  but  two  men  had  to  go  for  the 
others,  that  were  fortunately  found  browsing  on  a plentiful 
supply  of  the  shoots  of  young  bamboos.  Happily  the  animals 
had  been  pasturing  in  a direction  opposite  to  that  from 
whence  the  peccaries  came,  otherwise  there  would  have  been 
a stampede. 

Almost  the  first  thing  the  men  did  after  the  final  retreat 
of  the  peccaries  was  to  slash  the  skin  on  the  top  of  the  loins 
of  the  defunct  enemy,  and  extract  the  gland  that  creates  the 
disgusting  odour  peculiar  to  these  animals  ; for  if  not  ex- 
tracted soon  after  death,  it  taints  the  flesh  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  render  it  uneatable  except  by  Indians,  who  do  not  object 
to  any  flavour,  and  eat  all  their  animal  food  cooked  on  the 
same  principle  as  an  European  cook  prepares  a woodcock. 
There  were  twenty-seven  dead  pigs  found  in  and  about  the 
camp,  and  also  several  wounded,  to  whom  it  was  necessary 
to  giv'e  the  coup  dc grace.  The  wounds  were  mostly  from  the 
knives  and  small  axes,  but  a very  considerable  number  of 
the  wounded  must  have  got  away  to  recover,  or  linger  unfor- 
tunately in  pain. 

Six  of  the  plumpest  were  selected  for  drying  and  salting, 
the  preparations  for  which,  and  also  to  repair  the  damages 
done  to  the  bags  of  provisions,  delayed  our  departure  for 
some  time. 

An  examination  of  these  animals  showed  them  to  be  a 
species  of  peccary  resembling  that  known  as  the  Dicotyles 
labiatus,  but  an  essential  difference  was  noticeable  in  the 
absence  of  the  white  lips  that  give  the  name  to  that  species ; 
our  enemies  had  black  snouts  and  dark  lips,  otherwise  they 
corresponded  in  other  points. 

They  had  four  incisors  on  the  upper  jaw,  and  six  molars 
on  each  side  above  and  below  ; while  the  tusks,  although 


138  Up  the  Valley  of  the  SapAo. 

smaller  than  a pig’s,  are  much  finer  and  sharper,  inclined 
slightly  backwards,  and  closely  overlap  each  other.  Some  of 
the  bodies  of  the  animals  measured  thirty-si-x  inches  in  length. 
They  are  more  slender  in  build  than  the  common  pig,  and 
covered  with  long  stiff  bristles,  coloured  with  alternate  rings 
of  grey,  light-brown,  and  black.  These  colours  vary  with  the 
size  and  age  of  the  animals,  and  as  either  one  predominates, 
they  cause  the  animal  to  appear  either  brown,  grey,  or  black  ; 
the  largest  we  found  was  almost  entirely  black,  whereas  the 
smallest  had  quite  a brown  appearance.  During  the  battle 
I could  not  help  noticing  the  apparent  method  of  their  move- 
ments, as  though  they  were  led  by  chiefs.  It  appears  that 
their  mode  of  attack  on  such  an  occasion  as  they  favoured  us 
with,  is  to  surround  in  silence,  by  a complete  circle,  the  object 
to  be  stormed  ; when,  at  a given  signal,  a simultaneous  snap- 
ping of  teeth  takes  place,  followed  by  a general  converging 
rush  to  the  centre,  whereby  the  largest  and  strongest  reach 
the  front  first,  and  the  smallest  bring  up  the  rear  ; their  retreat 
is  carried  out  on  an  equally  methodical  system.  There  is  a 
small  red  species  known  by  the  Guarany  name  of  ca'citatu 
our  friends  are  known  by  the  Brazilian  cognomen  of  quei- 
xadas,  ox poi'cos  de  matto.  From  what  I had  witnessed  during 
the  past  night,  I can  quite  understand  how  these  courageous 
animals  in  large  numbers  are  capable  of  surrounding  and  de- 
stroying a powerful  jaguar  ; and  if  my  dog  Feroz  had  fallen 
amongst  them,  he  would  doubtless  have  made  a brave  fight, 
but  he  would  not  have  had  the  slightest  chance  of  escape, 
and  fortunately  for  us  the  ropes  of  the  hammocks  did  not 
break,  as  hammock-strings  will  sometimes  do  at  untoward 
moments,  otherwise  I should  not  be  here  to  tell  this  talc. 

But  now,  from  the  camp  fire,  comes  the  odour  of  roast 
peccary,  for  parts  of  them  were  already  cooking  for  breakfast, 
and  emitting  a vastly  more  acceptable  odour  to  what  they 
did  when  alive.  When  ready,  it  is  needless  to  say  that,  after 
the  long  night  and  in  the  keen  dewy  morning  air,  how  appre- 
‘ Dicotylcs  iorquatos. 


A Beautiful  Vallev. 


139 


dated  were  our  visitors  even  without  apple  sauce,  for  then 
there  was  not  the  slightest  trace  of  the  objectionable  odour. 

We  marched  up  the  valley  of  the  Sapao,  now  a narrow 
sluggish  stream  of  beautifully  clear  but  dark  water,  flowing 
almost  on  a level  with  the  adjoining  grass-lands,  fringed  with 
thin  belts  or  avenues  of  the  huritys*  The  stream,  although 
deep,  eight  to  ten  feet,  was  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  feet 
wide  ; we  were  evidently  nearing  its  source.^ 

We  had  not  travelled  more  than  a mile  from  our  camp, 
when  we  topped  a slight  ridge  that  intersected  our  route,  and 
which  had  hitherto  hidden  the  view  of  the  upper  valley.  On 
arriving  at  this  point  a most  perplexing  view  met  my  gaze, 
for  instead  of  finding  the  valley  narrowing,  as  it  had  done 
hitherto,  it  opened  out  into  a hollow  basin  about  two  miles 
wide  and  three  miles  long,  and  nearly  surrounded  by  hills,  or 
rather  the  bluffs  of  \\\g  geraes. 

The  greater  part  of  the  area  of  this  depression  is  occupied 
by  a marshy  lake  fringed  by  thousands  and  thousands  of 
bnritys.  The  water  is  evidently  not  deep,  as  scattered  clumps 
of  reeds,  and  grass,  and  palms  could  be  seen  growing  over  the 
whole  of  its  surface.  Beyond  the  immediate  margins  of  this 
shallow  lake  the  ground  is  covered  with  bnritys,  some  in 
groups,  some  in  pairs,  some  in  long  straight  avenues.  The 
whole  of  this  valley  is,  with  the  exception  of  a few  breaks, 
surrounded  by  the  picturesquely-coloured  sandstone  bluffs  of 
the  geraes. 

There  was  a bright  blue  sky  overhead,  flecked  with  fleecy 
white  clouds  sufficient  to  throw  passing  shadows  over  the 

: ® On  many  occasions  the  men  had  cut  down  some  of  these  palms,  and 
as  the  trunks  lay  prostrate  had  hollowed  out  a hole  about  eight  inches 
square  ; this  speedily  fills  with  a nearly  transparent  liquor,  and  makes  a 
most  refreshing  drink,  resembling  very  much  the  milk  of  green  cocoanuts, 
but  much  sweeter.  From  this  the  natives  make  the  celebrated  vinho  dc 
burity  by  allowing  it  to  stand  and  ferment.  It  is  then  a strong  intoxi- 
cating beverage,  and  much  prized  by  the  Indians.  Thus  the  name  of 
this  palm — Maiiritia  vinefera. 

‘ The  scene  of  last  night’s  adventure  I called  Batalha  (Battle). 


140  Ur  THE  Valley  ol  the  SapAo. 

landscape;  green  in  the  grass  of  the  marshes,  blue  in  the  sky- 
reflected  lake,  golden  brown  over  all  the  higher  lands  that 
are  covered  with  the  accumulated  growth  of  ages  of  grass, 
and  further  varied  by  the  many  rich  tints  of  the  precipitous 
slopes  of  the  enclosing  scarped  bluffs  of  the  highlands — truly 
it  was  a grand  combination  of  colour  and  form,  and  what  a 
profound  solitude  ! 

In  the  N.W.  and  S.W.  directions  two  openings  appear 
where  the  land,  more  or  less  level  with  the  swamp,  forms  a 
clear  horizon  against  the  blue  sky.  These  two  openings  are 


Pig-sticking  in  Goyaz  {stv  page  150). 


separated  by  a range  of  flat-topped  hills,  with  perpendicular 
sides  and  a base  of  the  natural  slope  of  earth.  These  hills  are 
remarkable  in  their  appearance,  and  resemble  a huge  Titanic 
fortress. 

I determined  to  explore  the  apparent  exit  of  the  waters 
of  the  lake  from  the  two  openings  in  the  aforesaid  N.W. 
and  S.W.  directions,  for  which  purpose  it  was  apparently 
neccs.sary  to  go  round  three-fourths  of  the  entire  circumference 
of  the  swamps  and  lakes  ahead  of  us. 

The  Sapao  here  loses  its  character  of  a river  flowing 
between  clearly  defined  banks,  as  its  waters  and  lines  of 


A GEOGRArillCAL  DlSCOVEUV.  141 

buritys  gradually  spread  and  mingle  with  those  of  the  broad 
swampy  lake,  where  the  palms  no  longer  appear  in  the  form 
of  avenues,  but  in  dense  and  broad  scattered  clumps,  whose 
growth  indicates  the  almost  impassable  nature  of  a great 
morass. 

We  travelled  on,  skirting  as  near  as  possible  the  course  of 
the  Sapao,  for  it  occurred  to  me  that  if  this  lake  drained  to 
the  west  by  the  S.W,  and  N.W.  openings,  I had  made  a 
very  interesting  geographical  discovery,  namely,  that  the 
ivholc  of  the  vast  territory  forming  the  N.E.  section  of  Brazil 
is  practically  an  island,  as  any  water  flowing  to  the  west  must 
necessarily  eventually  join  the  Tocantins. 

On  the  way  I noticed  a little  hillock  surrounded  by  swamp 
and  covered  w\\.\\  green  grass,  whereas  all  similar  ground  was 
covered  with  the  brown  and  densely  matted  grass  of  the 
growth  of  ages.  The  Don,  observing  my  looks,  came  up  to 
me  with  a mysterious  look,  and  said,  “ P.gentel  seja  quern  for, 
sdo  qnilombciros oil  tapiiias"  (Whatever  it  may  be,  it  is  people, 
fugitive  slaves  or  Indians).  Certainly  this  patch  of  green 
grass  on  high  ground  was  mysterious ; we  looked  around  but 
could  see  no  other  indications  of  humanity,  so  pressed  on 
with  the  march. 

As  several  peccaries  had  crossed  our  path  lately,  Jose  and 
the  Don  cut  three  long  straight  bamboos  ; to  the  ends  of  each 
we  fastened  our  sharp-pointed  knives,  for  the  purpose  of 
pig-sticking.  But  the  first  use  we  had  for  our  lances  was  for 
a different  animal  ; our  dogs  had  suddenly  disappeared  into 
the  tall  grass,  barking  loudly,  and  a few  moments  afterwards 
a huge  ant-bear came  rolling  out  into  the  open  semi-marsh 

® The  great  tamaiidua-bandeira  of  the  Brazilians,  the  tamanoir  of 
BufTon  {Myrmecophaga  jnbata).  This  animal  measured — head,  sixteen 
inches ; back,  four  feet ; tail,  four  feet ; total  length  about  nine  feet  four 
inches.  It  was  the  finest  specimen  I had  seen.  Its  peculiar  motion  in 
running  is  owing  to  its  necessity  of  having  to  double  up  its  huge  hawkbeak- 
like claws,  and  run  on  the  outer  upper  portion  of  the  fore-feet,  that  gives 
it  a motion  very  similar  to  what  a man  would  appear  like  if  he  had  to 
double  up  his  fists  and  walk  on  all  fours,  using  the  tops  of  his  wrists 


142 


Up  the  Valeev  of  the  Sapao. 


land,  followed  b}'  the  dogs  ; it  went  at  a good  pace,  but  with 
most  extraordinary  and  ludicrous  movements.  It  became 
then  very  interesting  to  watch  the  sagacity  of  the  dogs,  as 
they  hung  well  on  to  his  rear,  trying  to  seize  only  the  tail  of 
the  animal,  and  keeping  well  out  of  reach  of  his  powerful 
fore-legs  armed  with  tremendous  claws.  The  dogs,  however, 
were  evidently  losing  their  caution  and  getting  closer,  and 
the  cumbersome  beast  had  already  made  some  particularly 
rapid  blows  in  attempting  to  rip  the  dogs.  Fearing  a pos- 
sible disaster  to  my  faithful  Feroz,  we  galloped  on,  but  it  is 
amazing  the  speed  these  cumbersome  ant-bears  can  develop. 
We  had  to  put  our  animals  to  their  sharpest  paces  to  come 
up  with  the  quarry,  when  we  had  the  opportunity  of  fleshing 
our  lances.  The  bear  died  hard,  lying  on  its  back  and  striking 
out  with  its  fore-legs.  The  men  cut  off  portions  of  the  flesh 
to  eat,  but  when  afterwards  prepared,  I found  it  too  strongly 
flavoured  with  formic  acid  to  be  agreeable,  and  the  dogs 
refused  it. 

It  then  occurred  to  me  that  the  incident  of  the  discovery 
by  the  Don  of  the  robbery  of  a bees’-nest  some  days  ago, 
might  po.ssibly  be  explained  by  it  having  been  taken  by  an 
ant-bear,  and  not  by  a prowling  stranger  as  he  supposed. 

instead  of  his  hands.  This  animal  is  totally  devoid  of  teeth  ; its  mouth 
is  a small  slit  at  the  end  of  an  elongated  snout  ; the  head  is  long  and 
slender,  and  quite  out  of  proportion  to  the  other  massive  parts  of  its  body  ; 
the  eyes  are  small,  and  the  tongue,  long  cylindrical  and  protractile,  is 
lubricated  with  a gummy  saliva,  specially  adapting  it  for  insect  food. 
'I'he  immense  muscular  development  of  the  huge  fore-legs,  each  armed 
with  four  formidable  hook-like  claws,  enables  it  with  facility  to  destroy 
the  strongly-built  sun-dried  clay  hillocks  of  the  termites,  or  white  ants. 
The  hair  of  the  head  is  short  and  close,  but  over  the  rest  of  the  body  it  is 
long  coarse,  and  shaggy,  especially  on  the  top  of  the  neck  and  back. 
'I'he  colour  of  the  head  is  a mi.xture  of  grey  and  brown,  the  upper  part  of 
the  body  is  deep  brown  and  silvery  white.  What  principally  distinguishes 
this  species  from  the  smaller  one,  the  iamamiita  [Mynnccoplniji^a 
(amaudua),  is  a broatl  black  band,  bordered  on  each  side  with  a similar 
one  of  a white  or  light  greyish-brown  colour  ; commencing  on  the  chest 
it  passes  obliquely  over  each  shoulder,  where  it  terminates  in  a point. 
'J  hose  bands  have  originated  the  term  biindart},  a llag. 


Sufferings  of  the  Mules. 


143 


Although  the  appearance  of  this  great  valley  looked  so 
charming  and  so  easy  for  travelling,  we  found  it  very  toil- 
some ; the  flat  ground  near  the  borders  of  the  great  lake,  only 
covered  with  scattered  tufts  of  short  thin  grass,  looked  very 
pleasant,  but  we  found  it  to  consist  almost  entirely  of  quag- 
mires, that  in  some  places  extend  to  the  base  of  the  enclosing 
highlands.  Many  a time  we  had  to  try  the  expedient  of 
driving  the  animals  over  the  hides  laid  on  the  wet  grass,  to 
prevent  them  being  engulfed  in  the  swamp  ; to  avoid  the 
swamps  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  force  our  way  through 
the  tall  matted  grass  of  the  higher  ground  at  the  base  of  the 
surrounding  cliffs. 

On  the  way  we  came  acro.ss  several  peccaries,  singly  and  in 
pairs,  but  the  rough  nature  of  the  ground  would  not  permit 
a chase.  We  saved  our  spears  for  more  open  lands. 

The  mules  showed  signs  of  their  hard  work,  the  want 
of  pasture,  and  the  roughness  of  the  route  especially,  for 
their  chests,  faces,  and  fore-legs  were  quite  denuded  of  hair, 
in  continually  forcing  their  way  through  the  tall  grass. 
Close  by  a thicket  of  pindaiba  palms  and  young  bamboos 
I pitched  camp,  with  the  purpose  of  resting  men  and  animals, 
and  of  ascending  an  adjoining  bluff  to  reconnoitre. 

I took  the  Don  with  me,  though  he  pulled  a wry  face  at 
the  prospect  of  the  climb.  He  would  have  become  deaf 
again,  I know,  but  he  saw  it  was  no  use,  so  brought  his 
scaffold-pole  of  a gun  with  him  and  off  we  went. 

After  a short  but  severe  climb  we  reached  the  top.  Look- 
ing down  as  I did  upon  the  great  valley,  it  naturally  presented 
a different  appearance  to  the  distant  view  in  the  morning. 
It  is  not  one  large  swampy  lake,  as  it  at  first  appeared,  but  a 
number  of  large  and  small  lakes  of  water  connected  by 
channels  or  divided  by  strips  of  dry  land.  The  exertion  of 
the  ascent  was  rewarded,  for  it  enabled  me  to  distinguish  a 
probable  short  cut  across  the  valley,  for  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  thicket  of  pindaibas,  where  the  camp  was  pitched, 
was  a natural  and  apparently  dry  causeway,,  leading  to  the 


144 


Up  the  Valley  of  the  Sapao. 


opposite  side  of  the  valley,  and  dividing  the  lakes  into  two 
distinct  sets.  There  did  not  appear  to  be  a bush  or  tree  in 
the  whole  valley,  excepting  the  vegetation  peculiar  to  the 
swa.m^^,  pindaibas  and  biiritys-,  all  the  dry  land  was  covered 
with  the  matted  dry  brown  grass  agreste  crua,  as  it  is 
termed.  The  opposite  side  of  the  valley  is  shut  in  by  the  range 
of  fortress-like  hills,  that  terminate  abruptly  at  their  north 
and  south  extremities.  The  summit  of  this  range  appeared  to 
be  on  the  same  level  as  where  I stood,  as  did  also  the  hills 
to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  and  behind  me  the  geracs 
stretched  far  away,  flat  as  a table.  The  whole  formation  of 
these  valleys  could  be  easily  understood. 

The  summit  of  this  wide  far  extending  Chapada  da  Man- 
gabeira,  the  watershed  of  the  Sao  Francisco  and  Tocantins, 
is  most  probably  a relic  of  a great  plateau  that  perhaps  once 
extended  from  the  table-lands  of  Bahia,  east  of  the  Sao  Fran- 
cisco to  the  Western  highlands  of  the  Tocantins,  in  Goyaz. 
As,  however,  the  lower  waters  of  this  latter  river  have  not 
been  dammed  up  to  the  extent  caused  to  the  Rio  Sao  Fran- 
ci.sco  by  the  rocks  of  the  Paulo  Affonso  falks,  the  level  of  the 
Tocantins  is  much  lower  than  this  river,  consequently 
the  Western  drainage  from  the  watershed  is  sharper  than  the 
Eastern,  and  thus  is  seen  as  soon  as  the  divide  is  pa.ssed,  the 
evidences  of  great  denudations  that  have  not  only  scooped 
out  the  valleys  of  streams,  but  have  lowered  the  whole 
surface  of  the  land,  excepting  where  here  and  there  a few 
isolated  flat-topped  hills  remain  to  indicate  its  former  level.® 

Away  to  my  right  I .saw  the  neighbourhood  of  our  last 
night’s  adventure,  and  looking  down  upon  the  panorama  of 
the  valley  I comprehended  what  immense  detours  we  had 
made  that  day,  having  travelled  perhaps  sixteen  miles  while 
making  only  four  in  a straight  line. 

9 In  a paper  on  a “ Sketch  of  the  Physical  Geography  of  Brazil,”  read 
by  me  before  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  on  the  8lh  February,  i8S6, 

1 described  the  apparent  denudations  that  have  so  evidently  occurred  in 
this  and  many  parts  of  Brazil.  Sec  Appendi.x  II. 


Admirable  Pasture-lands. 


>45 


In  these  pathless  wilds  it  is  all  very  well  to  determine  a 
given  direction,  the  difficulty  is  to  follow  it  through  the 
many  obstacles  in  the  form  of  swamps,  or  tangled  grass. 

After  the  descent  wc  went  on  foot  to  e.xaminc  the  cause- 
way, where  we  found  the  land  dry,  and  the  grass  beaten  down 
in  many  tracks  cither  by  man  or  quadruped,  most  probably  the 
latter,  as  wc  had  seen  many  moving  bodies  in  the  distance, 
that  my  glass  led  me  to  believe  to  be  cither  tapirs  or  capy- 
varas. 

If  the  dry  grass  of  this  valley  was  annually  consumed  by 
fire,  what  a grand  cattle-raising  district  it  would  be,  for  this 
agreste  when  burnt  every  year  affords  very  good  pasture  ; it  is 
only  when  it  is  very  old  that  it  becomes  hard  and  acrid,  and 
more  resembles  canebrake  than  grass. 

The  clump  of  piudaibas  near  our  camp  looked  like  an 
ornamental  piece  of  .shrubbery  in  a tropical  meadow.  It 
formed  almost  a complete  oval  in  area,  in  the  centre  were 
buritys,  and  around  them  the  graceful  piudaibas;  at  their 
base  a mass  of  ferns  and  flowering  shrubs  that  made  the 
borders  of  the  clump  clearly  defined  amidst  the  flat  marshy 
land  surrounding  it. 

April  13. — This  morning  the  thermometer  registered  68°,  a 
degree  of  temperature  that  in  these  latitudes  creates  quite  a 
sensation  of  chilline.ss,  especially  if  one  has  pa.ssed  the  night 
sleeping  in  the  open  air. 

With  the  exception  of  a false  alarm  from  Rodrigues,  the 
night  passed  placidly  and  without  incident.  This  camp  we 
named  Pindaibas. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  wended  our  way  across  the 
natural  causeway  observ'cd.  yesterday,  and  reached  the 
opposite  side  of  the  valley  where  I halted  the  troop,  and 
then  rode  on  with  the  Don  towards  the  south-west  opening  of 
the  basin. 

Numerous  tracks  of  wild  animals,  especially  peccaries,  were 
met  with,  and  a few  deer  were  sighted  a long  way  off.  The 
south-west  opening  proved  to  be  really  a drainage  of  the 

VOL.  II. 


L 


146 


Ur  THE  Valeev  of  the  Sapao. 


south  section  of  the  lakes,  where  the  overflow  issues  in  the 
form  of  a considerable  rivulet,  and  flows  towards  the  south- 
west of  Goyaz. 

After  rounding  the  extreme  south  corner  of  the  cliffs  on 
the  right,  we  came  suddenly  within  sight  of  a vast  panorama 
of  far  extending  low  undulating  hills,  covered  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  perceive  with  the  brown  grass  of  the  growth  of 
ages.  About  ten  miles  away  to  the  west  and  south-west  are 
a range  of  hills  ; some  are  isolated  and  resemble  martello 
towers  perched  upon  a rounded  sloping  base,  others  form 
lines  of  irregularly-shaped  hills. 

The  course  of  the  valley  of  the  stream  by  which  we  were 
standing,  disappeared  faraway  to  the  S.S.W.  As  I calculated 
upon  going  W.  to  N.W.,  this  direction  did  not  suit  my  purpo.se. ‘ 

The  drop  of  the  land  from  where  we  stood  to  the  ground 
below  us  is  very  abrupt  and  considerable,  and  I could,  to  a 
certain  extent,  comprehend  the  motives  that  induced  my 
informant  in  Sta.  Maria  to  tell  me  that  the  lower  ground 
beyond  the  source  of  the  Rio  Preto  became  blue  with  the  great 
depth  ; for  here  a faintly  blue  and  transparent  haze  covered  the 
landscape  that  gave  it  an  exaggerated  appearance  of  depth 
and  distance.  The  stream  beside  me  was  flowing  at  a rapid 
pace,  and  lower  down  it  became  a series  of  falls  and  rapids. 

Whilst  looking  about  us,  a few  peccaries  emerged  from  some 
burity  groves  on  to  the  comparatively  open  ground  where 
we  were.  Such  an  opportunity  was  not  to  be  neglected,  and 
away  we  charged  upon  the  valiant  animals.  They  awaited 
our  approach  for  a moment,  until  we  neared  them,  when, 
after  hesitating  whether  they  should  charge  us  or  not,  they 
snapped  their  tusks  together  with  sharp  clicks,  wheeled,  and 
lied.  We  had  a glorious  run  over  the  sandy  ground,  only 
sparely  covered  with  tufts  of  thin  wiry  grass,  and  finally 

‘ This  stream,  I afterwards  judged,  must  be  the  source  of  the  Rio 
Novo,  that  when  it  joins  a Rio  Preto,  constitutes  one  of  the  main  feeders 
of  the  Rio  do  Somno.  This  Kio  Preto  is  entirely  distinct  from  the  stream 
that  the  Kio  Sapao  enters. 


Watershed  of  the  Sao  P'rancisco — Tocantins.  147 

succeeded  in  spearing  two  of  the  peccaries  that  apparently- 
disdained  to  run  away  at  a rapid  pace. 

I now  returned  to  camp,  and  thence  we  all  marched  on 
to  the  northern  end  of  the  hills  to  the  north-west  opening  of 
the  valley. 

There  again  another  view  of  the  solitudes  of  Goyaz 
appeared,  but  being  from  a different  point  of  observation, 
the  view  presented  other  features.  At  this,  the  before  men- 
tioned north-west  outlet  of  Varjem  lionita,  it  proved  as  I 
anticipated,  the  western  exit  of  the  northern  group  of  lakes 
and  swamps  of  the  valley,  and  thus  completed  the  circle  of 
waters  around  the  north-east  portion  of  Brazil ; for  as  the 
Sapao  is  the  easterly  drainage,  and  this  new  stream  flowing 
to  the  west  must  necessarily  find  its  vvay  to  the  Tocantins, 
even  if  it  is  not  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Rio  do  Somno. 

The  new  river  travelled  with  a rapid  current  and  many 
falls  for  less  than  half  a mile,  and  there  the  surface  of  the 
country  fell  rapidly  in  extensive  round,  rolling  hills.  We 
stopped  here  for  breakfast,  named  the  camp  Bom  Successo 
(Good  Success)  after  the  very  satisfactory  termination  of  my 
labours  so  far.  The  stream  my  men  named  Rio  Diogo. 

I could  not,  under  the  circumstances,  but  celebrate  the  event 
by  uncorking  my  last  bottle  of  Bass’s  bitter  beer,  and  leave  the 
empty  bottle  stuck  upon  a pole,  a sign  of  British  occupation. 

The  highest  elevation  of  the  waters  of  the  divide  above  the 
city  of  Barra  do  Rio  Grande  was  found  to  be  778  feet,  and 
2090  feet  above  the  sea-le\'el.  The  distance  by  road  is 
approximately  330  miles,  but  as  the  course  of  the  rivers  is 
very  much  more  sinuous  and  consequently  longer,  their 
mean  gradient  should  not  be  more  than  two  feet  four  inches 
per  mile ; and  as  there  is  not  one  waterfall  in  their  whole 
extent,  the  possibility  of  future  navigation,  and  the  actual 
existence  of  fav^ourable  conditions  for  a line  of  easy  gradients 
can  easily  be  comprehended. 


L 2 


148 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FROM  THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  SAl’AO  TO  M.\TTO  GRANDE. 


('loyaz  entered — IMairies — Tlic  gigantic  fortress-like  bluffs  of  the  Chapada 
de  Mangabcira — The  Rio  Diogo — Marching  through  solitudes — The 
roaring  anaconda — The  corn  almost  exhausted — Difficulty  of  following 
a route — Crossing  the  Corrego  do  Buraco  do  Diabo — A night-scene  in 
camp — An  uncertain  route,  and  corn  all  gone — Strangers  in  sight — A 
council  of  war — A rcconnoissance — The  vegetation  of  the  hill-tops — .A. 
world  of  brown  grass — A puzzling  prospect — Signs  of  distant  habita- 
tions— The  trail  of  the  strangers — A Burity  frond  raft — On  the  track  of 
the  strangers— An  exhilaia.ing  atmosphere — Healthy  cattle — Arrival 

at  a house — Peace  or  war? 
— A sturdy  family  of  back- 
woodsmen — The  strangers 
discovered  — The  outlawed 
Araujos — A kind  and  hospit- 
able host — Anybody’s  land — 
The  Sapao  found  to  be  a short 
cut  to  Goyaz — A lonely  habi- 
tation— Jose  do  Matto  Grande 
and  his  family — Escape  from 
a long  sojourn  in  a wilderness 
— A borderland  farm — Arrival 
of  my  troop — A night  under 
a roof  again — An  exploration 
and  hunting  party — A skir- 
mish with  the  peccaries — 
Chased  up  a tree — A few 
exciting  moments — The  ana- 
conda snakes  of  the  marshes 
— Habits  of  the  peccaries — 
Exploring  the  country. 

April  15///. — Having  thus 
l>as.scd  the  divide  of  the 
„ Sao  Francisco  and  Tocan- 

An  “ imho  manso. 

lin.s  basins,  we  had  conse- 
(luentl)-  entered  the  Protince  of  Goya/..  The  summit  of 


ROUTE  MAP — VARJEM  BOMTO  TO  THE  TOCANTINS. 

Vol.  IT.  p.  148. 


Tin:  Pkaiuii.s  of  Govaz. 


149 

the  flat-topped  cliffs  that  surround  the  Varjem  lloiiila,'  are 
about  2300  feet  above  the  sea. 

The  configuration  of  the  land  now  before  us  presents 
immense  distinctions  to  what  we  had  lately  travelled  over. 
I'rom  the  summit  of  a long  rounded  hill  of  tall  grass,  we  see 
behind  us,  the  western  limits  and  bluffs  of  the  Chapada  da 
Mangabeira,'  that  long,  wide,  sandy,  flat,  treeless  table-land, 
that  extends  from  the  neighbouring  boundaries  of  Maranhuo 
and  Goyaz,  and  stretches  in  an  undulating  direction  almost  due 
south,  to  the  line  of  mountain  ranges  of  true  upheaved  strata  in 
Southern  (joyaz.  The  appearance  of  these  bluffs  is  extra- 
ordinarily strange.  Every  few  miles  along  their  fronts  great 
gaps  appear,  that  mark  the  existence  of  springs  and  waters 
flowing  to  the  west.  The  summits  of  the  bluffs  form  a series 
of  parallel  levels,  as  though  they  had  been  jack-planed  and 
rolled  : the  upper  face  of  the  cliffs  arc  perpendicular  walls, 
rising  from  the  natural  earth  slopes  formed  by  the  accumula- 
tion of  the  fallen  sandstone  disintegrated  by  time  and  weather. 
They  have  the  appearance,  at  a distance,  of  long  lines  of 
gigantic  fortresses,  commanding  the  vast  areas  below  and  in 
front  of  them,  of  the  rolling  brown  grass  hills  and  winding  Imrity 
palm-grove  valleys,  and,  further  to  the  west,  of  tall  isolated 
martcllo-towcr-looking  hills,  or  small  groups  of  other  flat- 
topped  hills,  like  outlying  forts  of  the  main  chain  of 
fortifications. 

We  followed  all  day  the  descending  course  of  the  Rio 
Diogo,  by  forcing  a way  through  the  tall  rank  grass  that 
everywhere  covers  the  undulating  hills. 

It  is  a lovely  country,  and  the  air  is  superb  and  delightfully 
cool  and  fresh  ; there  is  no  stagnant  water,  nor  rotting  vege- 
tation, nor  mosquitos,  nor  pests  of  any  kind.  The  breeze 
sweeps  over  the  billowy  surface  of  the  grass  like  over  a ripe 
field  of  corn  ; it  is  all  so  bright  and  clear  that  one  feels  aglow 
with  health  and  animation. 

As  the  train  of  nine  mules,  two  horses,  and  three  men  on 
foot,  wend  their  way  in,  single  file  through  the  tangled  grass 
* Beautiful  lowland.  The  “ Flats  of  the  mangaba  tree.” 


150  From  the  SapAo  to  Matto  Grande, 


by  the  margins  of  the  avenues  of  palms,  the  unaccustomed 
appearance  and  noise  of  the  troop  disturb  the  many  denizens  of 
the  groves,  great  purple  or  crimson  and  gold  macaws^  protest, 
with  loud  harsh  shrieks,  against  our  intrusion  of  their 
domains,  green  parrots,  and  the  lovely  golden  head 
jandaias  ■*  also  screech  and  chatter ; occasionally  a low 
hoarse  roar  is  heard  amidst  the  morass  at  the  base  of  the 
palms,  said  to  come  from  the  great  sucurihus  or  anacondas  ; a 
deer  sometimes  bounds  away  ahead  of  us,  or  the  grass  often 
vibrates  with  the  rush  of  a peccary  scampering  away  ; then,  if 
the  grass  is  not  too  high,  some  of  us  leave  the  ranks,  lance  in 
hand,  for  a chase.  The  active  animals  generally  escape,  but 
we  have  many  an  exciting  run,  greatly  to  the  delight  of  the 
dogs,  and  occasionally  succeed  in  fleshing  our  spears. 

Often  are  seen,  in  some  of  the  green  marshy  valleys,  herds 
of  the  small  campos  deer,  that  are  not  by  any  means  so  tame 
as  those  of  the  Sapfio,  and  long  before  we  can  get  within 
range  they  are  off,  a fact  that  makes  me  think  we  are  not  far 
from  inhabited  districts. 

The  numerous  groves  of  hnritys  with  their  deep  morasses 
that  so  continually  obstruct  the  route,  give  much  trouble  to 
cross  or  to  go  round,  and  treble  or  quadruple  the  distances, 
that  is  especially  annoying,  for  I am  anxious  about  the  mules, 
that  are  in  a most  woeful  condition.  The  pasture  has  been 
so  very  bad,  and  contains  so  little  nutriment  that  they 
become  very  fatigued  with  the  great  labour  of  forcing  a 
way  through  the  grass,  and  their  chests  and  fore-legs  are 
denuded  of  hair,  and  the  skin  of  many  of  them  is  scarified 
and  bleeding  from  the  cuts,  of  the  hard  and  often  cane-brake- 
like grass.  In  some  places  this  is  five  or  six  feet  high,  a 
dense  tangle  of  matted  canes,  m others  it  is  only  two  or 
three  feet  in  height.  The  corn  is  nearly  exhausted,  and  only 
sufficient  for  one,  or  at  most  two,  days’  rations.  It  was  most 
fortunate  that  it  had  been  brought,  otherwise  the  troop  couhl 
not  possibly  have  travelled  so  far  without  it. 

■'  ylra  antriioia.  > * Tan;yyntxthus,  sp. 


Difficulties  of  Travelling  in  a Pathless  Land,  i 5 1 

A Brazilian  mule,  hardy  and  strong  as  it  is,  is,  w ithout  its 
corn,  about  as  useful  as  a locomotive  w ithout  fuel. 

In  travelling  through  an  open  country  like  this,  it  would 
appear  comparatively  easy  to  follow  a wished-for  direction  ; 
on  foot,  yes,  but  not  with  a troop  of  pack-mules.  For  instance, 
I want  to  go  west  or  north-west  ; I see  in  those  directions 
groups  of  hills  on  the  horizon,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  away, 
and  instead  of  the  Rio  Diogo  flowing  in  that  direction, 
several  small  streams  join  it,  flowing  from  the  west  and 
north-west,  and  the  Rio  itself  takes  a course  to  the  S.S.W., 
and  in  the  pitiable  condition  of  the  animals  I dare  not  take 
them  away  from  at  least  the  neighbourhood  of  water  on  to 
perhaps,  waterless  arid  highlands.  Consequently,  I resolved 
to  follow  the  course  of  the  Rio  Diogo  for  at  least  a day  or 
two.  A short  distance  on,  the  Rio  Diogo  joins  a more  con- 
siderable stream,  that  flows  from  a northerly  source.  \\’e 
continued  to  follow  the  course  of  the.se  united  waters. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  a stream,  most  inconvenient  for 
passing,  barred  our  way;  it  enters  the  now  deep  swift  waters 
of  the  Rio  Diogo  on  our  right,  bordered  by'  high  banks  and 
belts  of  thick  woods,  that  could  only'  be  passed  after  much 
labour  and  risk.  The  stream  in  front  of  us  is  small  in 
volume,  tumbling  over  rocks  and  boulders  at  the  bottom  of  a 
deep  gulley  with  precipitous  sides,  full  of  atoleiros  (springs 
and  quagmires).  Jose  rode  a long  way  up  the  margins  of  its 
course  to  find  a passage,  but  only  returned  as  the  sun  .sank 
below  the  horizon.  He  reported  that  up  above,  the  stream 
opened  out  into  a wide  impa.s.sable  Burityzal,  that  apparently 
extended  miles  away'  to  the  cliffs  of  the  table-lands ; there  was 
absolutely  no  pasture  near  us  except  the  leaves  of  bushes,  but 
on  the  other  side  there  were  some  bamboos  and  a thin  cerrado. 
For  the  .sake  of  the  animals,  it  was  nece.s.sary  to  get  them  on 
the  other  side  of  the  stream  at  all  hazards. 

One  mule  is  led  down  the  steep  slope,  w here  he  soon  sinks 
in  the  soft  mora.ss  and  struggles  and  plunges  furiously',  snorting 
with  terror,  his  eyes  distended  and  nostrils  quivering;  with  a 


152  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 


final  effort  he  rears  himself  out  of  the  bog,  but  only  to  slip 
and  fall ; away  he  rolls  down  the  sharp  descent,  pack  and  all, 
and  lands  upon  his  back  amongst  the  rocks  below  ; the  men 
follow,  and  relieve  the  poor  beast  of  his  pack,  when  he 
staggers  to  his  feet,  and,  after  several  struggles  and  failures, 
he  finally  reaches  the  top  of  the  bank  on  the  opposite  side. 

All  the  rest  of  the  mules  had  to  be  unloaded,  and  the 
baggage  carried  to  the  other  side  on  the  men’s  heads,  for  the 
area  of  a man’s  foot  will  carry  his  weight  over  places  where 
the  small  hoof  of  a mule  would  inextricably  sink. 

It  proved  a very  troublesome  and  difficult  task  to  get  the 
rest  of  the  animals  across  the  gorge,  but,  after  many  a struggle 
and  tumble,  with  the  help  of  hides  laid  on  the  worst  places, 
down  which  they  slipped  on  their  hauncl'.cs,  we  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  landing  them  on  the  other  side,  bruised,  shaken,  and 
trembling  in  every  limb,  but  otherwise  unhurt. 

The  camp  fire  had  been  lighted  in  the  meantime,  and  a 
quantity  of  young  bamboo  shoots  collected  for  fodder  for  the 
poor  famished  animals.  The  men  unanimously  baptized  the 
stream,  Corrego  do  Bnraco  do  Diabo. 

It  was  7.30  p.m.  before  we  had  everything  stowed  for  the 
night,  and  ourselves  seated  around  the  fire  discu.ssing  roast  pec- 
cary and  the  prospects  of  the  next  day’s  discoveries,  or  a night 
visit  from  the  peccaries,  or  tapuias.  Nothing,  however,  could 
be  finer  than  the  lovely  moonlight  night,  with  a temperature 
of  70°,  and  an  absence  of  any  torturing  insects  or  other  pests. 
The  camp  was  pitched  among.;t  the  trees  of  a thin  cerrado, 
hard  by  the  deep  dell  of  a small  feeder  of  the  Corrego  do  Buraco 
do  Diabo.  It  was  a picturesque  scene  in  the  obscurity  of  night, 
for  the  blaze  of  the  fire  throws  strong  flashes  of  light  on  the 
trees,  the  hammocks,  the  fort,  the  grass,  and  the  moving 
figures  of  the  men,  one  of  whom  is  roasting  a leg  of  peccary 
on  a spit  before  the  fire  for  breakfast,  another  is  giving  the 
mules  their  last  feed  of  corn,  another  struggles  up  the  grotto 
witli  a saucepan  of  water  for  the  beans,  another  is  cleaning  a 
pig  we  had  speared  on  the  march,  .Antonio  puffs  his  cigarette 


A Nr;iit-sci;nl;  in  Camp. 


153 


and  relates  his  yarns,  (the  other  men  arc  away  hobblinij 
some  of  the  mules),  I sit  upon  my  box  bed  and  wonder  when  I 
shall  be  out  of  these  wilds.  Dark  shadows  arc  around  us,  the 
darkness  of  ni"htoutin  unknown  wilds,  that  one  can  so  easily 
people  with  i)ossible  objectionable  visitors,  a va^ue  feeliii'^ 
of  uncannyncss  creeps  over  one,  like  what  I remember  feelins^ 
as  a child  for  a certain  dark  closet  in  the  old  home.  Overhead 
the  new  moon  plays  hide  and  seek  with  occasional  masses  of 
clouds,  or  breaks  out  in  a clear  brij^ht  sky  as  they  roll  on- 


A night-scene  in  camp  in  the  wilds  of  Goyaz. 


wards,  making  the  details  of  the  distant  landscape  clear  and 
definable  in  the  cold  light.  Strange  sounds,  peculiar  to  the 
night,  strike  with  startling  suddenne.ss  on  the  quiet  of  the 
camp,  hushing  the  murmur  of  conversation,  and  making  all 
listen  with  overstrung  nerves  until  the  noise  of  the  fall  of  a 
crumbling  ember  of  the  fire  recalls  our  wandering  faculties, 
or  Antonio  softly  says,  “ Ndo  he  nada,  he'  algnm  bixo”  (It  is 
nothing,  it  is  some  bicho  or  other).  But  if  Feroz  gives  a 
low  growl,  it  is  curious  to  see  the  keen  attention,  how  weapons 


154  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 


are  grasped,  and  heads  raised  in  listening  attitudes.  One 
acquires  this  way  a peculiarly  light  sleep.  I could  then 
sleep  well  all  through  the  night  anywhere  and  anyhow,  and 
get  up  fresh  in  the  morning,  and  yet  it  seemed  as  though  I 
had  heard  every  sound  and  noticed  every  movement  that 
had  taken  place  throughout  the  night,  even  to  every  time 
the  man  on  watch  replenished  the  fire,  or  raised  the  lid  of 
the  pot  to  see  how  the  beans  were  cooking.  But  the  presence 
of  my  excellent  watch  dog,  “ Feroz,”  was  ever  a source  of 
security  against  surprise.  It  would  be  difficult  for  any  being 
to  approach  the  camp,  and  not  find  him  alert  and  ready  with 
his  deep  warning  growl. 

April  1 6 dawns  upon  us  a clear  bright  morning,  as  free 
from  mist  as  the  mid-day,  but  several  of  the  mules  are  missing, 
having  probably  strayed  away  in  search  of  pasture.  The 
men  follow  their  tracks  easily  through  the  tall  grass  of  the 
hills,  but  it  requires  a long  tramp  to  find  them,  and  it  is  ten 
o’clock  before  we  can  get  away. 

It  is  a queer  feeling  with  which  one  leaves  a camp  in  these 
unknown  wilds  to  go  out  in  the  wide  wilderness,  with  failing 
animals,  exhausted  stores  of  corn,  and  the  rivers  flowing  in 
a course  at  right  angles  to  the  desired  direction.  About 
mid-day  we  topped  the  summit  of  a long  hill,  and  sighted 
a wonderful  array  of  long  avenues  of  buntys,  extend- 
ing far  away  in  the  hollows  of  wide  shallow  valleys, 
enclosed  by  great  undulating  brown  gra.ss  hills  and  the 
furtress-like  hills  of  the  Chapada  da  Mangab.ira  in  the 
background. 

Whilst  we  halted  a moment  to  gaze  about  us,  Antonio, 
who  had  very  keen  vision,  suddenly  ejaculated,  ‘‘'Olka  la! 
gente,  gcutL%  Id  cstuo  dies"  (Look  there!  people,  people, 
there  they  arc),  and  directed  my  attention  to  a couple  of 
black  s[)ccks  on  the  brow  of  a distant  hill.  On  applying  my 
glasses,  I made  out  two  horsemen,  quite  motionlc.ss,  and  ap- 
parently watching  our  movements.  Rotlrig.ucs  soon  joined 
us,  and  discovering  the  cause  of  our  inquiring  looks,  at  once 


Strangers  in  Sight. 


^ 55 

became  very  excited,  shouting  to  the  men,  “To  arms,  boys, 
to  arms  ; the  Indians,  get  ready  the  cartridges.” 

“ Hold  your  tongue,  and  do  not  be  stupid,”  quietly  ob- 
served Jose  in  reply. 

Meanwhile  the  two  strangers,  evidently  not  liking  our 
appearance,  rode  away  and  soon  disappeared  from  view. 
A council  of  war  was  held,  and  the  general  opinion  was  that 


-■! 


Sighting  strangers  in  the  wilderness — -The 
fortress-like  hills  of  the  Chapada  da 
Mangabeira — Hurity  palm  groves  and 
grassy  savannahs. 


they  were  “ qiiilombeiros”  or  part 
of  a band  of  fugitive  slaves  under 
the  command  of  a certain  A-raujo 
(a  kind  of  Brazilian  Rob  Roy),  who  was  supposed  to  have 
his  headquarters  somewhere  in  these  districts.  I could  not 
but  help  thinking  that  they  were  hunters  from  some  near 
settlement,  and  proposed  to  follow  their  tracks,  although 
the  intervening  marshes  would  necc.ssitate  an  enormous 
detour,  but  as  the  course  they  took  in  going  away  would 
be  likely  to  intersect  our  route,  I determined  to  continue 
the  journey,  and  so  as  to  strike,  then  follow  their  tracks. 

In  the  late  afternoon  we  found  some  fair  pasturage  on  a 


156  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 


hill-side  that  had  evidently  been  burnt  not  very  long’  ago, 
and  close  to  a lofty  isolated  eminence.  I pitched  camp  to 
rest  and  feed  the  animals,  whilst  I went  on  foot,  accompanied 
by  Antonio,  to  climb  the  hill  and  prospect  the  views. 

The  ascent  was  long  and  toilsome,  through  high  matted 
grass  and  rugged  ground,  covered  with  boulders  of  a coarse, 
variously-coloured  sandstone,  showing  occasional  veins  of 
quartz,  of  white  and  of  clear  varieties,  all  strongly  tinged 
yellowish-red  with  oxide  of  iron.  On  the  summit  of  the 
hill  we  found  an  area  about  an  acre  in  extent,  perfectly  flat, 
in  places  riven  by  ravine.s  ; the  surface  was  grown  over  with 
vegetation  similar  to  what  we  found  on  the  table-lands,  i.e. 
tufts  of  thin  wiry  grass,  dwarf-ground  palms,  small  Manga- 
beira  and  cajeiv  trees,  Vellozias  and  various  scattered  small 
bushes,  and  the  sweetly  perfumed  white  flowers  of  the  Spiran- 
thcra  odoratissima,  all  so  different  to  the  agresh’-covercd  hills 
below  us,  as  though  we  had  ascended  into  another  country. 

Looking  around  us,  was  like  looking  upon  a sea  of  huge 
mountainous  waves  of  brown  grass,  far  and  near  the  .same 
brown  hue  appeared,  broken  only  by  lines  of  hurity  palms 
and  long  narrow  winding  thread.s  of  woods  in  the  more 
distant  valleys,  and  the  bluffs  of  the  Chapada  to  the  east  ; 
a long  wide  valley  trended  away  to  the  south,  the  course  of 
the  Rio  Uiogo,  a direction  that  considerably  puzzled  me  ; to 
the  south-west  a long  ridge  shut  off  an  exit  that  way,  and  to 
the  we.st  and  north-west  other  ridges  and  isolated  hills 
apparently  precluded  the  possibility  of  drainage  to  the  Tocan- 
tins in  those  directions,  but  amongst  these  higher  lands  of  the 
N.W.,  I could  make  out  some  green  hills,  evidently 
and  what  is  this  I see  amongst  such  a vestige  of  human  life  } 
Yes,  it  is — a veritable  column  of  smoke,  but  miles  awa}', 
in  a N.N.W.  direction.  Antonio,  as  usual,  commenced 
croaking  about  tapnias  and  quilombos,  but  I resolved  that 
if  we  did  not  come  across  the  tracks  of  the  strangers,  I 
would  proceed  the  next  morning  in  the  direction  of  the 
green  gra.ss  and  the  burning  matter. 


The  Trail  of  the  Strangers. 


157 


After  takin"  the  bearings  of  the  position  of  the  smoke,  and 
making  a sketch  plan  of  the  intervening  lands,  we  descended 
the  hill,  but  instead  of  returning  to  camp,  we  crossed  a stream 
and  went  onwards  beyond  it,  to  e.xamine  for  traces  of  the 
strangers. 

Our  efforts  were  rewarded,  for  we  came  across  the  trail  of 
two  horsemen  travelling  west  ; we  followed  their  tracks  for 
about  a mile  to  alongside  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Diogo,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  which  was  a small  raft  moored  to  some 
bushes. 

“ It  is  an  Indian’s  raft,”  said  Antonio  on  seeing  it. 

“ Friend  Antonio,  if  you  utter  another  word  about  the  tapu- 
ias,  I will  cut  off  your  rations  of  manipoeira,"  ^ I replied, 
quite  nauseated  with  the  constant  repetition  of  this  bugbear. 

The  raft  consisted  of  bundles  of  the  long  dried  leaf-stems 
of  the  burity  palms,  laid  in  two  layers  tran.sversely,  one  upon 
the  other.  The  horsemen,  probably  those  we  had  sighted  in 
the  morning,  had  evidently  forded  the  river  by  the  aid  of  the 
raft,  for  the  prints  of  horses’  hoofs  and  bare  feet  were  dis- 
tinctly visible  in  the  sand  of  the  shore.  We  returned  to 
camp,  and  preparations  were  made  to  leave  the  animals, 
baggage,  and  some  men  there  the  ne.xt  day,  and  then  to 
proceed  on  foot  to  e.xplore  the  green  lands  of  the  north- 
west. 

Accordingly  the  next  morning,  taking  with  me  Antonio 
and  my  special  man  Bob,  and  looking  well  to  arms,  with 
haversacks  of  provisions,  water-bottles,  and  compa.ss,  we  set 
out  on  foot  on  our  exploration  of  the  district  of  the  mysterious 
smoke  Jose  Gro.sso  was  left  in  charge  of  the  men  and  the 
camp,  for  Rodrigues  was  so  scared  that  he  was  absolutely 
useless  for  the  purpose. 

We  reached  the  river,  where  Bob  plunged  into  the  water, 
swam  acro.ss,  and  returned  poling  the  raft.  On  the  other 
side  we  found  a well-defined  track,  that  we  followed  for  a 

' Manipocira  is  a term  occasionally  used  to  express  a vtata  bixo,  or  a 
dram  of  cachaca. 


158  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 

long  time  without  sighting  anything  except  brown  grass, 
buritys,  and  a few  birds,  amongst  the  latter  some  gorgeous 
gold  and  blue  macaws  (Arams).  I'he  ground  was  dry 
and  sandy,  in  many  places  so  soft  and  deep,  that  walking 
was  hard  work,  yet  what  different  effects  the  exercise  pro- 
duced to  the  moist  clammy  state  that  one  gets  into  in  the 
woods,  for  here  on  these  breezy  hills  the  sun  and  fresh  dry 
air  seem  to  absorb  all  perspiration,  and  despite  the  scorching 
rays  of  the  sun,  one  feels  lithe  and  springy,  and  equal  to 
any  exertron. 

At  last,  after  some  couple  of  hours’  tramp,  we  crossed  a 
pretty  little  rivulet  of  clear  water,  (that  like  all  the  streams  of 
these  districts,  flows  over  a rocky  bed  of  hard  coarse-grained 
sandstone),  traversed  a belt  of  forest  and  emerged  on  to  a long 
gentle  ascent  all  coveredwith  the  green  grass  of  a queimado,  and 
oh  ! welcome  sight,  a few  cattle  browsing  on  its  summit ; there 
must  be  somebody  at  home  somewhere  hereabouts.  The 
cattle  looked  at  us  inquisitively  for  a few  moments,  then  threw 
up  their  heels  and  .scampered  away.  They  were  black  in  colour, 
and  appeared  to  be  in  capital  condition  as  near  as  we  could 
judge  from  the  distance  ; their  horns  were  so  enormous,  and 
gave  them  such  a ferocious  appearance,  that  their  retreat  was 
not  objected  to. 

About  a mile  further  on,  after  passing  a small  ro^a  in  a 
clearing  amidst  the  woods  of  a narrow  valley,  we  reached  a 
large  birdcage-looking  house  of  sticks  and  gra.ss-thatchcd 
roof.  A man  who  was  standing  in  the  doorway  gazed 
wonderingly  at  us  for  a moment,  and  probably  not  liking  the 
strange  appearance  of  my  helmet,  at  once  retired  within  the 
house,  from  whence  he  soon  reappeared  with  si.x  tall  brown- 
skinned men,  each  one  armed  with  a gun. 

I halted  and  called,  “ d dc  casa’'  (Oh  ! house  ahoy.) 

“ 0 de fora!  ^ de paz  ou  guerra?”  (Without  there  ! is  it 
peace  or  war  ! ) comes  the  reply. 

“Aj/iigosc  Christoi’s"  ^ (Friends  and  Christians)  I answer. 

® Christoes  is  a term  generally  applied  to  inhabitants  of  Indian  districts 


A Family  of  Sturdy  Brazilians. 


159 


" Podc  chegar”  (You  can  approach),  the  oldest  man  re- 
sponded. All,  however,  handled  their  weapons  and  looked 
at  us  with  evident  surprise,  but  as  we  were  only  three  in 
number  and  advanced  with  guns  shouldered,  their  alarm 
quickly  subsided. 

I .saw  before  me  a group  of  a finer  set  of  men  than  I had 
met  with  anywhere  in  Brazil.  In  front  of  them  stood  an 
elderly  man,  about  si.xty  years  of  age,  considerably  over  si.K 
feet  in  height,  muscular  broad-shouldered  and  deeply  sun- 
burnt, his  square  jaws  were  partly  covered  by  beard  and  mous- 
tache, short  wiry  and  grey,  his  nose  was  aquiline,  his  brows 
were  heavy,  and  shaded  keen  piercing  eyes,  and  altogether, 
he  was  a model  of  sinewy  strength.  11  is  face  wore  an  expre.ssion 
of  curiosity  and  indecision,  but  it  was  that  of  a frank  honest 
manly  fellow  ; the  other  men,  apparently  his  sons,  were  all  tall 
we'l-knit  brown-skinned  fellows,  from  about  twenty  to  thirty- 
two  years  of  age.  All,  father  and  sons,  were  clad  alike  in  suits 
of  tanned  deerskin,  hats,  coats,  vests,  and  trousers  ; their  feet 
were  bare,  and  their  bodies  shirtless. 

I tendered  a brief  explanation  of  my  presence  in  these 
wilds,  and  that  I had  left  the  rest  of  the  troop  in  camp.  The 
old  man  at  once  gave  me  a hearty  welcome,  slung  up  ham- 
mocks, and  called  his  wife,  a hale  old  browny  dame,  who  had 
apparently  retired  to  some  inner  room  pending  the  inquiries 
of  our  mysterious  selves. 

During  the  conversation  that  ensued,  I learned  that  the 
two  horsemen  we  had  sighted  yesterday,  and  whose  tracks  we 
had  followed,  were  two  of  the  young  men  before  us,  who  had 
been  on  a shooting  excursion  amongst  the  hills,  and  when 
they  saw  our  rather  large  troop  in  those  districts,  (that  they 
well  knew  w'ere  roadle.s.s,)  they  vv'ere  considerably  puzzled  to 
account  for  our  appearance,  and,  the  distance  being  so  great, 
they  could  only  distinguish  a large  mounted  party,  and 
believing  us  to  be  some  wandering  quiloinbtiros  or  Armijos, 

in  Goyaz  to  indicate  Brazilians  ; the  aborigines  being  knotvn  as  tapiiias, 
gentihos,  or  indios. 


i6o  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Graxde. 


they  had  ridden  home  as  quickly  as  possible  to  inform  their 
father  that  the  Araujos  were  out  on  the  war-path'  and  had 
consequently  determined  to  remain  at  home  that  day,  and 
scout  for  information  on  the  next. 

The  sons  now  offered  to  go  and  fetch  my  troop,  but, 
remembering  the  fright  that  Rodrigues  would  fall  into  at  the 
sight  of  strangers,  and  probably  fire  at  them  first  and  make 
inquiries  afterwards,  I sent  back  Antonio  with  them,  mine 
host  kindly  providing  him  with  a horse  for  that  purpose. 

The  old  dame  brings  us  gourds  of  milk,  with  farinha  and 
coffee  served  up  in  smaller  gourds.  Cigarettes  are  lighted, 
my  black  bottle  of  cacha^a  is  passed  round  to  my  hosts,  who 
take  a hearty  pull  at  it,  with  a catching  of  the  breath,  and  a 
sigh  of  gratification  at  such  unusual  luxury,  “ Ah ! it  is 
strong  ! good  cacha9a  ! ” 

A well-earned  lounge  in  a hammock  is  now  appreciated, 
and  in  a long  and  animated  conversation  we  e.xchange  our 
respective  experiences,  from  which  I glean  the  following. 
The  neighbourhood,  known  as  Jalapao,  has  not  been  colonized 
more  than  five  or  six  years  by  the  Christoes,  immigrants  chiefly 
from  the  neighbouring  province  of  Piauhy,  who  were  attracted 
by  the  excellent  pasture-lands  of  the  hills,  and  the  fertile  soil 
of  many  of  the  valleys,  and  who  have  acquired,  by  the  right 
of  occupation  only,  the  ownership  of  their  land.s,  where 
possession  is  practically  the  ten  points  of  the  law. 

About  twenty  miles  in  a N.W.  direction  is  a small  village 

' These  Araujos  are  the  bogeys  of  these  borderlands ; whether  they 
actually  exist  is  more  than  doubtful.  .Story  says  that  some  years  ago  a 
ccrl^ln  A raujo,  (who  was  celebrated  in  the  Scri/io  for  his  numerous  crimes,) 
finding  that  inconvenient  inquiries  were  being  made  for  him  by  the  police 
authorities  of  the  country  towns,  disa]3pcared  to  the  wilds  of  these  districts, 
where  he  was  supposed  to  have  joined  a retreat  of  fugitive  slaves 
bciros) ; that  certain  outlying  farms  had  been  ruthlessly  attacked  and 
])lundered  by  the  bands  under  the  leadership  of  the  outlaw,  and  their 
tenants  murdered  with  great  brutality.  This  is  the  general  report,  but  1 
failed  to  trace  any  of  the  alleged  circumstances  either  to  time  or  locality, 
neither  could  the  supposed  existence  of  the  stronghold  of  the  Araujos 
traced  to  any  ])articular  neighbourhood. 


A Lonklv  Hahitation. 


i6i 


known  as  Kspirito  Santo,  and  beyond  it  arc  a few  cattle- 
farms. 

A trail  passes  through  Espirito  Santo  from  Piauhy  towards 
Natividade,  in  the  south  of  Goyaz,  and  is  the  only  road  that 
exists  in  the  country  between  the  Chapada  da  Mangabeira 
and  the  Tocantins. 

The  only  articles  of  e.xport  of  the  district  are  a few  herds 
of  cattle,  that  are  driven  to  Paranagual,  in  Piauhy,  or  from 
thence  to  Santa  Rita  do  Rio  Preto,  and  are  bartered  for  such 
articles  of  necessity  as  the  district  does  not  produce,  guns, 
salt,  powder  and  shot,  cottons,  knives,  axes,  bill-hooks,  &c. 

My  route  up  the  Sapao  will  open  out  a much  shorter 
journey  to  Sta.  Rita  than  the  roundabout  way  through 
Piauhy,  for,  like  the  inhabitants  of  the  Rio  Preto,  these  had 
peopled  the  mysterious  valley  of  the  Sapao  with  such  a 
variety  of  perils  and  dangers  that  the  people  preferred  to  go 
round  by  Piauhy  rather  than  organize  an  exploring  party 
and  test  its  imagined  dangers  and  difficulties. 

The  old  man  immensely  exaggerated  what  he  called 
conragem  do  Senhor  Doutor"  in  traversing  the  Sapao  with  so 
small  a party. 

Certainly,  if  a very  small  fraction  of  the  expected 
dangers  had  been  met  with,  my  exploration  would  pro- 
bably have  ended  in  disaster,  but  as  I met  with  no  maraud- 
ing Indians  or  quiloinbeiros,  nor  prowling  onqas,  nor  pathless 
forests,  nor  malignant  fevers,  and  only  a skirmish  with  the 
peccaries,  it  was  really  not  worth'mentioning. 

The  old  dame  said  she  passed  a very  nervous  life  of  sus- 
pense, for  all  her  sons  and  her  husband  sometimes  left  her 
alone  for  days  whilst  they  were  away  on  a hunting  expedi- 
tion, and  as  her  father  and  brothet  had  been  killed  by  an 
Indian  raid  on  their  home  in  Piauhy,  she  was  never  free  from 
anxiety  and  memories  of  the  terrible  scenes  of  her  young 
life. 

Although  this  Jalapao  is  surrounded  by  immense  tracks  of 
unexplored  lands,  and  tribes  of  Coroados  are  known  to  exist 


VOI..  II. 


M 


i62 


From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 


on  the  head-waters  of  the  Rio  do  Manoel  Alvos,  within  lOO 
miles,  and  semi-civilized  tribes  of  Chercntes  inhabit  the  banks 
of  the  Tocantins,  there  appears  to  be  no  fear  amongst  the 
male's  of  indios  brabos  (wdld  Indians). 

Senhor  Jose  do  Matto  Grande,®  the  name  of  my  host  (his 
surname  being-  the  title  of  his  home),  apparently  spends  a 
free,  happy  and  independent  life  with  his  huge  sons,  who  are 
really,  in  their  manner  and  simplicity,  only  overgrown  boys  ; 
and  pleasing  it  is  to  see  the  respect  and  attention  they  pay  to 
their  parents. 

Their  roc^a  in  the  woods,  the  game  of  the  campos,  and 
their  herds  of  cattle,  provide  them  with  all  their  simple 
requirements — their  house,  food,  and  clothes.  Were  it  not 
for  salt,  guns,  powder  and  shot,  they  would  be  absolutely 
independent  of  the  outer  world ; they  are  active,  energetic 
and  healthy,  and  in  their  habits  are  fairly  clean  ; their  only 
vices,  an  occasional  cigarette  or  a dram  of  cacha^a  when  they 
can  get  it,  for  it  is  fortunately  in  these  districts  scarce  and 
dear. 

I further  learned  that  the  river  we  had  been  latterly 
accompanying,  and  which  the  Rio  Diogo  had  joined,  is 
known  as  the  Rio  Preto,  whose  source  is  amongst  the 
Chapadas  of  the  Mangabeira,  in  a low  valley  somewdiat 
similar  to,  and  north  of,  that  of  the  source  of  the  Sapao,  and 
that  a little  beyond  it,  streams  flow  towards  the  great  navi- 
gable Paranah)'ba. 

If  I had  followed  the  sinuosities  of  the  Rio  Preto,  it  w'ould 
have  taken  me  into  a pathless  wilderness  of  almost  impa.ss- 
able  thick  capim  agreste,  but  would  eventually  have  brought 
me,  by  a long  detour,  to  its  junction  with  the  Rio  do 
Sonminho  below  Espirito  Santo.  Such  a route  w'ould  pro- 
bably have  kept  me  a week  or  a fortnight  in  the  wilderness 
battling  with  the  difficulties  of  progress,  the  tall  grass,  the 
many  marshy  streams  and  biirityzals,  and  belts  of  wood.s, 
during  which  time  the  animals  must  certainly  have  failed. 

” Josc|)Ii  of  the  ;,;ieiit  forest,  or  thick  woods. 


A Bokdkkland  1''ak.m. 


163 

The  very  thought  of  it  made  me  stretch  out  my  limbs  in  the 
comfortable  rede  (hammock),  with  a feeling  of  intense  satis- 
faction that  I was  so  well  out  of  it,  and  in  the  hands  of  such 
good  people. 

The  walls  of  their  house  are  built  of  strong  upright 
pindahiba  poles,  placed  close  together ; • the  door  and 
window-frames  are  roughly-squared  timbers;  the  roof  is  grass 
thatch,  and  the  three  rooms  inside  are  formed  by  partitions 
of  other  upright  poles ; the  kitchen  is  under  an  open  shed, 
merely  roofed  over,  where  a few  boulders  of  stone  constitute 
the  kitchen  range,  and  a few  earthenware  pots,  tin  plates, 
spoons  and  gourds,  the  batterie  de  cuisine.  In  front  of  the 
house  a fence  of  pindahiba  ® sticks  encloses  a clean-swept  yard 
and  a thatched  hut  that  serves  as  a barn  for  storing  the  crops 
of  beans,  maize,  rice,  mandioca,  yams,  coffee,  cotton,  castor 
oil,  beans,  pumpkins  and  sweet  potatoes,  all  of  which  are 
produced  in  their  7'oca. 

Many  of  the  sticks  of  the  pindahiba  fence  had  taken  root, 
and  developed  vigorous  branches,  although  several  of  them 
had  been  put  in  the  ground  upside  down. 

An  adjoining  open  shed  contains  the  stove  for  drying 
farinha,  and  a rude  pair  of  wood  rollers,  turned  by  hand  by 
means  of  levers,  for  crushing  cane  and  making  a little  rapa- 
diira.  Running  about  at  their  own  sweet  wills  are  four  pert 
tame  porcos  de  mat  to,  a gold  and  blue  and  a dark  purple 
arura,  three  green  parrots,  a monkey,  a score  or  so  of  fowls,  a 
few'  pigs,  goats,  and  some  dogs,  all  with  the  exception  of  the 
latter  perfectly  tame,  and  the  araras  and  parrots  were  excel- 
lent talkers. 

In  due  time  my  troop  arrived,  and  Jose  extended  to  all  a 
noisy  welcome.  Later  on  he  invited  all  of  us,  master  and 
man,  to  join  a liberal  dinner,  that  he  and  the  old  dame  had  pre- 
pared for  us.  It  w'as  a rough  dinner-party,  both  guests  and 
table  appointments,  but  it  was  marked  by  a good  temper, 
enormous  appetites,  and  a thorough  appreciation  of  the  good 
’ Xylopia  scricca. 

M 2 


164  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 

things  before  us,  and  of  the  frank  genial  kindness  of  our 
hospitable  hosts.  In  the  evening  the  tent  was  pitched  to 
accommodate  my  men,  and  all  turned  in  early,  each  glad  to 
be  free  from  the  watchful  nights  and  anxieties  of  the  past 
days. 

The  next  morning,  accompanied  by  Jose  as  a guide,  I 
started  to  explore  the  surrounding  districts,  map  out  a rough 
plan  of  the  course  of  the  waters,  and  take  barometrical 
observations.  As  the  mules  were  considerably  exhausted  and 
required  a rest,  he  kindly  provided  horses,  and  suggested  that 
we  should  at  the  same  time  make  a shooting-party.  All 
his  sons  and  my  men  were  anxious  to  join,  except  Rodrigues, 
who  with  his  two  men  remained  behind  to  keep  the  old  dame 
company.  As  we  might  possibly  camp  out,  ponchos  and 
bags  of  provisions  were  taken  with  us. 

The  horses  were  strong  fresh  and  in  good  condition,  but 
so  wild  and  frisky,  that  care  was  required  to  prevent  saddles 
becoming  too  suddenly  unoccupied.  Yet  how  enjoyable  was 
that  canter  over  the  even  surface  of  the  rolling  hills  of  short 
grass  ! how  fresh  and  pure  was  the  wonderfully  clear  air  ! so 
cool  and  exhilarating,  and  how  strangely  clear  and  minutely 
defined  appeared  even  the  most  distant  outlines  of  the 
horizon,  free  from  the  slightest  trace  of  haze  ! 

In  the  distant  east  and  south-east  appeared  the  ramparts 
of  the  outlying  spurs  of  the  strange-looking  flat-topped 
table-lands  of  the  Chapadas,  showing  even  at  a grea^  dis- 
tance the  innumerable  tints  of  their  formation,  and  their 
steep  scarped  faces,  furrowed  by  deep  perpendicular  clefts 
worn  by  the  rains  and  weather  of  ages.  Between  us  and 
these  bluffs  was  a vast  e.xpanse  of  hills  and  vales,  brown  in 
the  distance,  green  in  the  foreground  ; long  winding  lines 
of  dark  forest  or  avenues  of  burity  groves  filled  the  hollows  ; 
in  all  directions  were  scattered  eminences  of  more  flat-topped 
hills,  some  forming  ranges,  others  isolated,  others  in  groups, 
their  furrowed  perpendicular  walls  grandly  picturesque  in 
their  beautiful  tints. 


A Hunting  Expedition.  165 

\Vc  wended  our  way  towards  a part  of  the  Rio  Preto  con- 
siderably below  where  we  had  crossed  on  the  previous  day, 
at  the  foot  of  a fall  known  as  Cachoeira  do  Firmino.  The 
sloping  banks  were  so  full  of  springs  and  quagmires,  that 
great  difficulty  was  experienced  in  descending  them.  The 
margins  of  the  stream  were  free  from  woods,  and  on  the 
adjoining  land  only  a few  biiritys  appeared  in  the  boggy  soil 
of  the  hollow,  and  a little  cerrado  here  and  there  dotted  the 
hill-slopes  with  its  gnarled  trees.  The  bed  of  the  stream  is 
limestone. 

A little  further  on,  in  a wide  shallow  depression,  was  our 
host’s  favourite  hunting-ground  (where  he  had  often  found 
considerable  quantities  of  peccaries),  an  immense  buriiyzal 
that  extended  apparently  from  the  Chapadas  to  the  Rio 
Preto. 

We  halted  at  Josh’s  request  and  listened,  and  soon  dis- 
tinctly heard  the  grunt  of  the  porcos  amongst  the  bitritys, 
where  they  feed  on  the  fruits  of  the  palms  that  form  their 
favourite  food. 

Leaving  the  horses  fastened  to  the  trees  of  a thin  cerrado 
that  covered  the  sloping  ground  of  the  borders  of  the  swamps, 
and  haversacks,  ponchos,  and  other  impedimenta,  suspended 
to  the  branches,  we  advanced  to  the  attack. 

I confessed  to  a feeling  of  trepidation  and  a certain  bumping 
of  the  heart  as  we  were  about  to  leave  the  borders  of  the 
convenient  trees  so  easy  and  apparently  purposely  con- 
structed for  a human  retreat  from  the  peccaries,  but  at  that 
moment,  a troop  of  some  dozen  of  them  emerged  from  the 
jungle  of  the  swamp  out  into  the  open  marshy  land,  and 
disappeared  into  the  adjoining  tall  grass. 

Three  of  the  sons  of  Jose,  with  Antonio,  Bob,  and  Jose 
Grosso,  started  at  a run  to  cut  off  their  retreat,  and  soon 
disappeared  amidst  the  tall  grass  a little  lower  down  the  hill. 
After  a few  moments  of  suspense,  we  heard  reports  of  guns 
and  shouts  to  us  to  look  out  ; at  the  same  time  another  troop 
of  peccaries  appeared  on  th^  open  marshes  and  followed  the 


1 66  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 


tracks  of  the  others.  The  grass  became  agitated  by  the 
movements  of  the  animals,  and  they  soon  afterwards  entered 
the  more  open  ground  of  the  cerrado  where  we  were  waiting, 
pursued  by  the  five  men  ; we  all  fired,  but  as  the  range  was 
long,  there  was  not  much  execution.  The  animals,  about 
forty  in  number,  then  suddenly  halted  and  faced  their  pursuers 
with  vicious  little  stampings  of  feet  and  snapping  of  teeth, 
and  suddenly  charged  down  upon  the  men  and  upon  our- 
selves. Never  was  such  gymnastic  agility  displayed  as  in 
the  way  that  each  of  us  rushed  for,  and  scurried  up,  the  nearest 
trees,  many  dropping  their  guns  or  knives  in  their  hurry. 

Jose  and  his  sons  were  the  coolest,  especially  the  old  man, 
who,  perhaps  a little  too  stiff  for  climbing,  calmly  placed  his 
back  against  a tree,  clasped  it  behind  him  with  his  left  hand, 
and  leaning  forward  in  a semi-stooping  posture,  with  his  long 
facCio  at  the  ready,  awaited  the  furious  charge. 

How  gallantly  they  come  sw'eeping  along  whth  their  muzzles 
w'ell  down,  but  within  a few  feet  of  our  trees  they  suddenly 
halt,  and  snapping  their  tusks,  make  short  plunging  charges, 
I had  found  a comfortable  perch  up  a short  gnarled  tree,  and 
taking  careful  aim  at  the  peccaries  near  me,  I knocked  over 
three  of  them  in  five  shots  from  my  revolver. 

They  were  charging  Jose’s  legs  at  close  quarters,  but  his 
long  keen  sharp-pointed  knife  flashes  quickly  as  he  rapidly 
delivers  cuts  and  thrusts  with  telling  effect.  The  other  men, 
safely  ensconced  in  the  trees,  have  made  good  shots,  but  before 
any  of  us  can  reload  the  peccaries  scamper  away.  All  of 
us  quickly  descend  from  our  perches  and  rush  after  the  re- 
treating animals,  loading  our  guns  as  we  run,  but  our  brave 
foes  suddenly  halt  and  face  us  with  a look  of  defiance  and 
again  make  a gallant  charge.  How  ignominious  we  appeared 
as  w'e  in  our  turn  beat  a hurried  retreat  to  the  nearest  trees, 
where,  not  having  time  or  finding  conveniences  for  a climb, 
we  were.forced  to  imitate  Jose’s  c.xample  and  face  the  enemy 
with  knives  ; but  the  peccaries  after  a momentary  pause, 
dash  onwards  and  disappear  amidst  the  tall  grass  of  the 


The  Anacondas  oe  the  Marshes.  167 

borders  of  the  swamps,  cross  the  marshes,  and  enter  the 
jungle  of  the  buritys. 

Although  the  whole  thing  happened  within  a few  moments, 
there  were  quite  enough  elements  of  danger  to  spice  the  sport, 
for,  if  in  making  our  retreat,  any  of  us  had  stumbled  and 
fallen,  the  consequences  must  have  been  seriou!?,  if  not  fatal. 
I prefer  the  pig-sticking  on  mule-back  with  our  extemporized 
spears.  W'e  gave  the  coup  dc  gnice  to  the  wounded,  but 
many  got  away  only  partially  damaged.  We  found  our  bag 
amounted  to  ten  pigs,  all  in  excellent  condition. 

As  Jose  and  his  sons  were  anxious  for  another  tussle,  we 
proceeded  up  the  valley,  and  soon  .saw  here  and  there  a soli- 
tary grunter  outside  the  growth  of  palms  and  aquatic  vege- 
tation of  the  swamps;  and  frequent  grunts,  heard  amidst  the 
groves,  indicated  the  presence  of  considerable  numbers  of  our 
foes. 

A little  further  on,  a spit  of  firm  land  only  covered  with 
short  gra.ss  extended  to  near  the  groves,  but  no  one  cared  to 
venture  there  so  far  from  the  friendly  sanctuary  of  the  trees, 
and  possibly  meet  a huge  anaconda  coiled  up  in  the  swamp.' 

Jose  Grosso  and  one  of  our  host’s  sons  now  returned  to 
remain  with  the  animals,  whilst  we  proceeded  a little  further 
on  in  quest  of  a stray  peccary.  We  walked  about  a mile,  but 

‘ These  burityzals  are  the  haunts  of  huge  anacondas,  of  such  a size  that 
I hesitate  to  mention — certainly  longer  than  I have  ever  heard  of  any 
species  of  snake  in  any  part  of  the  globe.  Jose  assured  me  that  he  had 
lost  not  only  one  but  several  bullocks  on  different  occasions  when  the 
cattle  had  waded  into  the  swamps  to  drink  water,  where  he  afterwards 
found  only  their  heads  and  horns.  I quote  his  story  as  he  told  me.  I 
can  give  credence  to  him  as  he  did  not  appear  to  be  a man  given  to 
e.\aggeration,  but  not  having  personally  seen  a snake  swallow  a bullock, 
I cannot  ask  my  readers  to  believe  what  I have  only  heard  of,  although  I 
may  feel  disposed  to  credit  it  myself.  Jose  told  me  he  had  killed  some 
scores,  but  had  never  utilized  their  tough  skins  for  any  purpose, 
although  riding-boots  are  made  from  them  in  Espirito  Santo.  He  also 
stated  that  these  boas  will  sometimes  utter  a peculiar  low,  roaring  noise 
in  response  to  the  reports  of  firearms.  That  I am  disposed  to  credit,  as 
1 had  myself  on  several  occasions  heard  low,  hoarse  sounds  emanate 
from  the  groves  as  we  passed  by. 


i68  From  the  Sapao  to  Matto  Grande. 

found  not  what  we  hoped  for,  but  on  returning,  some 
peccaries  were  seen  straying  towards  the  hills  in  twos  or 
threes,  homeward-bound  to  their  lairs  in  the  dells  and  grottos 
of  the  sources  of  streams  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  of  the  Cha- 
padas.  We  worked  our  way  amidst  the  trees,  and  eventually 
obtained  a few  long  shots,  and  succeeded  in  bagging  two 
more. 

It  became  a question  whether  we  should  pursue  our  journey 
to  enable  me  to  take  my  notes,  and  camp  out  and  have 
another  probable  night-attack  of  peccaries,  or  return  to  Matto 
Grande.  I thought  a night  of  peace  and  quietness  preferable, 
although  perhaps  very  unsportsmanlike,  and  so  we  wended  our 
way  homewards. 

It  is  rather  unusual  that  these  peccaries  make  such  a brave 
fight  in  daylight,  but  it  was  chiefly  owing  to  their  accidentally 
finding  themselves  in  such  considerable  numbers  on  this  occa- 
sion, as  they  are  commonly  scattered  over  their  feeding- 
grounds  in  very  small  parties  during  the  day,  and  return  to  a 
common  haunt  at  night,  whence  they  sally  out  in  immense 
numbers  upon  any  foe  that  trespasses  upon  their  neighbour- 
hood, like  when  they  tracked  our  dogs  in  the  Sapiio. 

I spent  the  next  day  in  taking  observations  of  the  sur- 
rounding neighbourhood,  when,  men  and  animals  being  re- 
invigorated with  rest,  I proceeded  the  day  afterwards,  on  to 
Espirito  Santo,  taking  my  host  with  me  as  a guide. 

I was  naturally  desirous  to  remunerate  him  on  leaving,  but 
he  energetically  protested  against  receiving  any  money,  saying, 
“ what  was  the  good  of  it  to  him  in  those  wilds  ?”  but  he  would 
accept  with  pleasure  powder,  shot,  and  salt,  and  right  gladly 
I gave  him  all  I could  spare,  and  it  made  his  heart  rejoice  at 
such  a goodly  supply. 


169 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  MATTO  GRANDE  TO  PORTO  FRANCO. 

Isolated  hills — Limestone  formation — An  undulating  country — The  Rio 
Somninho  the  source  of  the  Somno — Excellent  cattle  and  grand 
grazing-lands— Charming  woods — Absence  of  fevers — Espirito  Santo 
village — Top-boots  from  a snake-skin — A fine  specimen  skin — lUcho 
de pc  —hn  independent  village— A troublesome  road — Boa  Esperan^a 
— A sertCioejos  farm — An  enterprising  Brazilian — A night  with 
baratas  or  cockroaches — A Brazilian  pioneer — Dangers  of  river 
bathing— A tiresome  ford— A stormy  night  under  canvas — Bob 
escapes  drowning — Hard  work  in  crossing  a stream — A rocky 
country — Vestiges  of  the  old  plateau — A rough  bit  of  road — An 
adventure  with  a rattlesnake,  and  another  with  a huge  stag — A 
party  of  travellers — The  good-natured  Geralistas  of  Jalapao — The 
barren  geraes — Arrive  at  Porto  Franco — The  farm  at  Porto  Franco 
— I become  wearied  with  my  travels  — Dull  times — Cattle-raising  at 
Porto  Franco — A wild  plantation — Good  treatment  of  slaves — 
Climate — Costliness  of  salt — Indians  and  missionaries — A ralt  is  con- 
structed— Good-bye  to  my  followers — The  crew  of  the  raft. 

After  proceeding  a 
few  miles  on  our  way, 
we  passed  near  a high, 
solitary,  flat  topped 
hill,  locally  known  as 
O Morro,  a hill  that 
forms  a prominent 
landmark  when  seen 
from  the  exit  of  the 
.valley  of  the  Sapao. 
The  face  of  this  hill 
shows  three  different 
formations  ; the  upper  appears  to  be  a limestone  rock  similar 


170  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 

to  what  I had  found  in  the  streams,  the  middle  a species  of 
red  sandstone,  and  below  it  is  a stiff  white  gritty  marly 
clay.  The  strata  is  practically  horizontal,  as  far  as  I could 
judge. 

The  track  was  very  fair,  passing  over  gentle-  slopes,  and 
winding  round  the  heads  of  burityzals  and  wooded  streams. 
At  about  six  miles  from  Espirito  Santo  we  crossed  the  Rio 
do  Somninho,  a stream  of  crystal  water  about  thirty  feet 
wide.  It  eventually  joins  the  Rio  Novo,  when  the  united 
streams  constitute  the  Rio  do  Somno,  the  bourne  of  my 
exploration. 

We  passed  several  herds  of  cattle  belonging  to  my  kind 
host  Jose;  they  appeared  fat  and  healthy.  I must  say  that 
in  all  my  peregrinations  through  Brazil  I have  never  seen  a 
district  so  admirably  adapted  for  cattle-raising;  for  although 
the  soil  of  the  hills  is  almost  ail  sandy,  with  a subsoil  of  clay 
upon  rocks,  yet  the  grass  appears  fresh  and  vigorous  where  it 
has  been  subjected  to  the  annual  burnings,  and  the  best  proof 
of  its  good  qualities  is  the  excellent  condition  of  the  cattle. 
Another  advantage  that  this  district  possesses  is  that  there  is 
scarcely  a square  mile  that  is  not  watered  by  a running 
stream,  or  moistened  by  the  springs  of  marshes,  and  the 
numerous  strips  of  forests  in  the  larger  valleys  indicate  a 
soil  good  enough  for  any  agricultural  produce,  as  the  lu.xuriant 
ro(}as  of  Jose  testify. 

These  belts  of  forests  are  wonderfully  beautiful,  for  they 
contain  many  of  the  most  delicate  vegetable  productions  of 
the  country,  such  a variety  of  palms,  such  grand  tree-ferns, 
such  festoons  and  hanging  lines  of  flowers,  like  the  inamcaja 
or  indigenous  passion-flower,  many  varieties  of  coin’olvuli, 
and  many  species  of  flowers  that  I am  utterly  ignorant  of ; 
and  the  parasites,  bromclias,  the  brilliantly-coloured  wild  pine- 
apples (^gravatas)^  many  varieties  of  variegated  coloured  leaf 
plants,  splendid  arums,  and  the  great  lobated  leaves  of  the 
grand  vine  Monstcra  deliciosa,  with  its  dropping  lines  of  pendent 
aerial  roots.  There  is,  moreover,  an  absence  of  rotting  vegc- 


Snakk-skix  Toi>  Hoots.  171 

tation  and  of  thick  underwood,  no  faint  malarious  smells, 
no  mosquitos  or  insect  pests  of  any  kind.  1 he  very  swamps 
themselves  are  perfectly  healthy,  for  they  are  unlike  the 
marshes  of  the  Sao  Francisco,  created  by  the  overflow  of  a 
river,  and  then  left  to  stagnate.  Here  they  are  caused  by 
perpetually  running  springs  of  water,  and  are,  moreover,  freely 
exposed  to  the  fresh  breezes  that  continually  and  uninter- 
ruptedly sweep  over  these  exposed  hills  and  wide  valleys. 
Truly  it  is  a lovely  country,  and  were  it  not  so  far  away  from 
the  outer  world,  it  would  be  a grand  place  for  cattle-breeding 
and  for  immigration  ; as  it  is,  so  it  will  remain  for  probably 
many  generations  to  come,  until  the  United  States  become 
overpopulated,  and  perhaps  the  interior  of  Africa  is  all 
colonized,  and  a railway  reaches  this  fair  and  beautiful  land. 

April  20. — Arrived  at  the  little  isolated  hamlet  of  Espirito 
Santo,  consisting  of  some  twenty  wattle  and  dab  huts  situated 
amidst  a luxuriant  vegetation  of  fine  trees  and  thick  bush. 

Senhor  Jose  rode  to  the  open  door  of  a small  house,  where 
a shoemaker  was  cutting  up  the  tanned  skin  of  a huge 
Suatri/iu  or  Siicuriuha  boa.  He  laid  down  his  work  as  his 
friend  Jose  approached,  and  saluted  him  with, — 

“ Como  tern  passado  compadre,  c a coviadre,  c os  meninos  ? ” 
(“  How  have  you  fared  gossip,  and  the  old  lady,  and  the 
boys  ? ”) 

When  we  entered  the  house  I noticed  with  surprise  the 
magnitude  of  the  snake-.skin  that  was  being  made  into  riding- 
boots,  and  expressed  a desire  to  purchase  it. 

“This  is  nothing,  it  is  only  a baby,”  the  shoemaker 
observed  in  reply  to  my  expressions  of  wonder. 

Yet  tanned  as  it  wa.s,  and  necessarily  much  shrunk  from  its 
original  dimensions,  it  measured  three  feet  one  inch  wide, 
that  would  represent  a diameter  of  say  about  a foot,  and 
what  was  left  of  it  measured  nineteen  feet  six  inches  in 
length,  but  considerable  pieces  had  already  been  cut  off  from 
each  end.  The  shoemaker  a.ssured  me  that  it  was  formerly 
twenty-five  feet  six  inches  long,  and  he  confirmed  the  asser- 


1-2 


Matto  Grande  t6  Porto  Franco. 


tions  made  by  Senhor  Jose  of  the  enormous  size  that  these 
boas  occasionally  attain/  he  readily  sold  me  the  remains  of 
the  skin  for  two  milreis. 

I obtained  the  use  of  a small  empty  hut,  very  smoky  and 
smelly,  where  we  remained  the  nijht  and  took  away  with 
us  on  the  next  morning  a good  supply  of  chigoes  or  jiggers,’ 
that  put  a stop  to  all  river  bathing  for  a day  or  two,  unless  in 
unavoidable  river  crossings/ 

Our  arrival  had  created  an  evident  sensation  in  the  village; 
first  all  the  boys  and  girls  came  running  along,  then  sleepy 
yawning  men  followed  lazily,  women  left  off  spinning  cotton, 
or  ceased  to  search  each  other’s  habitat  of  the  “ pulex  capital.” 
The  whole  village,  all  compadres  or  comadres  of  Jose,  soon 
surrounded  us,  and  brown  grimy  hands  were  stretched  out 
for  a limp  handshake,  not  a grip  or  a squeeze,  for  the  cold 
damp  hands  just  flabbily  touch  one  like  a contact  with  a 
frog,  or  the  fin  of  a fish  ; but  I was  short  of  provisions  and 
had  to  be  chummy.  I chummed  accordingly  with  grand 
results,  for  dried  beef,  fowls,  toucinho,  farinha,  vegetables, 
eggs,  and  honey  were  plentifully  supplied,  and  many  of  them 
were  offered  as  presents. 

The  village  is  almost  a self-.supporting  community,  for  very 
little  is  imported  from  the  outer  world,  and  nothing  what- 
ever exported.  It  is  quite  without  any  legal  or  police 
authorities,  and  the  people  govern  themselves,  a little  im- 
perium  in  imperio,  yet  the  shoemaker  told  me  that  rarely  an)’ 
disturbances  occur,  and  the  people  are  peaceful  and  quiet, 

' This  great  boa  is  variously  known  to  naturalists  as  the  I'.tntectcs 
7>niriuus j x\\q  boa  anaconda  oi  linudm  ; the  boa  niurina  of  Mart.  It  is 
the  culebra  d'a^i^ta  of  the  Orinoefl.  and  cobra  deviado  of  Pernambuco. 
Its  Indian  name  expresses  a roaring  beast,  owing  to  its  sibilant  powers. 
The  word  is  composed  of  ‘‘  such"  a beast,  and  “ curu"  a snorter  or 
roarer. 

- Pulex  penetrans. 

^ It  is  a common  practice  all  over  Hrazil  to  fill  the  orifice  made  in  the 
skin  by  the  larv;e  of  these  insects  with  limewash,  to  cause  it  to  dry  and 
heal,  for  if  the  wound  is  welted,  erysipelas  or  disorders  of  the  skin  wiU 
most  probably  ensue. 


EsriRiTo  Santo  Village. 


173 

although  there  are  one  or  two  criminals  amongst  them  who 
are  “ wanted  ” elsewhere. 

As  soon  as  the  first  flush  of  the  excitement  of  our  arrival 
was  over,  the  villagers  speedily  relapsed  into  their  ordinary 
semi-somnolent  state,  and  returned  each  one  to  his  or  her 
hut,  where  they  were  soon  afterwards  seen  recumbent  in  ham- 
mocks or  on  grass  mats,  in  attitudes  expressive  of  complete 
prostration.  Probably,  as  slumber  occupies  so  large  a portion 
of  iheir  time,  it  leaves  them  few  opportunities  for  quarrelling, 
even  if  energy  necessary  for  such  exertion  was  not  wanting. 
The  contrast  between  my  stalwart  friend  Josd,  his  tall  sons, 
and  these  limp  boneless  villagers,  was  very  striking,  and  only 
shows  that  this  climate  is  not  necessarily  debilitating  to  any 
one  possessed  of  the  most  ordinary  quantum  of  determination 
and  moral  strength  of  mind. 

On  observing  a considerable  preponderance  of  the  numbers 
of  women  over  the  males,  and  remarking  upon  it,  I learned 
that  a considerable  number  of  men  had  gone'to  some  districts 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Natividadc,  near  the  shores  of  the 
upper  Tocantins,  where  a new  discovery  had  been  made  of 
considerable  deposits  of  alluvial  gold.  I could  learn  no  more 
except  that  there  was  inuito  ouro  (lots  of  gold);  but  the  un- 
usual fact  of  these  sleepy  people  developing  such  unexpected 
energy  and  enterprise  in  making  a mild  “rush”  for  it,  should 
indicate  a certain  amount  of  truth  in  the  story. 

This  Natividade  is  one  of  the  centres  of  the  old  mining 
operations  of  the  early  Portuguese  colonists,  a race  of  adven- 
turous spirits  who  spread  themselves  over  Minas  Geraes, 
Goyaz,  and  Matto  Grosso,  in  search  of  gold,  like  a swarm  of 
ants.  Gardner  passed  through  Natividade  in  1838,  and  de- 
scribes in  his  book  the  even  then  terribly  decadent  state  of 
the  old  town,  and  the  vestiges  of  great  alluvial  washings 
long  since  abandoned.  Probably ’the  district  would  w^Il 
repay  prospecting  by  a mining  expert,  for  although  the 
old  miners  did  their  work  effectually,  they  rarely  attempted 
in  those  dark  ages  to  wrestle  with  obstacles  that  can  now  be 


174  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 

easily  combated  with  the  skill  and  appliances  of  the  present 
day. 

The  next  morning,  Jose  and  his  sons  returned  to  their 
home  in  the  wilderness,  and  we  proceeded  on  our  way. 

We  travelled  twenty  miles  this  day,  arriving  in  the  after- 
noon at  a fazenda  known  as  Boa  Esperanza.^  The  way  was 
full  of  difficulties,  for  several  streams  and  many  marshy 
valleys  had  to  be  passed.  In  some  of  the  bogs  the  animals 
would  sink  almost  to  their  girths,  and  in  their  struggles  would 
often  land  their  packs  or  their  rider  in  the  mud  of  the  quag- 
mires. No  damage  however  occurred,  and  loud  laughs  and 
much  joking  saluted  the  luckless  wight  as  he  emerged  all 
plastered  with  mud,  or  from  a ducking  in  the  water  of  the 
bogs.  One  stream  flowing  from  some  flat-topped  hills  on 
our  left,  gave  us  considerable  trouble,  for  the  water  was  deep 
and  the  current  strong : no  canoe  was  near  nor  any  materials 
at  hand  for  constructing  a raft ; the  animals  were  swum 
across,  and  the  *baggage  carried  over  in  many  trips  on  a 
rough  litter  borne  on  the  heads  of  four  men,  for  the  water 
in  some  places  reached  their  chins,  and  it  required  their 
united  strength  and  very  great  exertion  to  keep  their  legs 
under  their  burden. 

Boa  Esperanza,  the  fazenda  of  the  Senhor  Capit.'io  Eortunato 
d’  Oliveira  Mascarenhas,  is  quite  a large  establishment  for 
these  wilds,  and  very  novel  in  its  appearance,  for  all  the 
several  buildings  were  quite  new  and  looked  fresh  and  bright, 
and  the  materials  used  iij  the  construction,  the  light  yellow- 
ochre-colourcd  sticks  of  piudahybas  and  the  dark  bronze- 
green  leaves  of piassava  palms,  that  served  as  thatch  for  the 
roof,  and  plaited,  as  a covering  to  the  walls,  created  a most  plea- 
sant appearance,  and  harmonized  with  the  surrounding  laiul- 
scape  of  green  rolling  hills,  here  and  there  dotted  with  groves 
of  bnritys,  and  the  always  beautiful  thickets  of  piudahybas. 
Not  a nail,  a s(]uared  timber,  a particle  of  clay,  or  a cord  was 


^ Good  hope. 


An  ExTKRrRisiNG  Countryman. 


175 


used  in  any  part  of  the  structures,  ever^’thing  was  provided 
by  the  produce  of  the  woods. 

The  capttdo,  a hearty  jovial  well-built  handsome  white 
man,  about  si.xty  years  old,  received  me  with  a bluff  loud- 
voiced  cheery  welcome,  that  made  one  feel  at  once  like  an 
old  acquaintance.  After  seeing  the  baggage  stored  in  a 
rancho  he  had  built  expressly  for  the  use  of  passing  travellers, 
and  the  animals  duly  attended  to,  he  showed  me  over  his 
establishment.  He  must  certainly  be  a hard-working  fellow, 
for  he  had  only  settled  in  this  district  within  the  past  twelve- 
month,  and  had  certainly  done  wonders  in  this  time.  He 
had  built  a large  and  commodious  hut,  store-houses,  slaves’ 
quarters,  and  other  outbuildings,  put  up  a rough  cane-mill,  a 
still,  fenced  in  a large  curral  for  cattle  and  cleared  a large 
tract  of  ground  that  showed  luxuriant  crops  of  miscellaneous 
produce.  His  household  comprised  his  wife,  two  daughters, 
three  adult  sons,  and  three  adult  negro  slaves,  who  appeared 
well  treated  and  happy  in  their  fate. 

He  expressed  himself  quite  contented  with  the  prospects 
of  his  enterprise,  and  hoped  to  be  very  successful ; he  can 
find  a fair  market  for  his  cattle  in  Piauhy  at  3/.  a head,  a 
low  price  certainly,  but  he  appeared  to  consider  it  re- 
munerative. 

On  retiring  for  the  night  to  my  quarters  in  a little  room  in 
the  travellers’  rancho,  there  appeared  a pest  that  I had  little 
calculated  upon  meeting  in  such  a place ; the  light  had  not 
been  long  extinguished  before  strange  rustling  sounds  were 
heard  amidst  the  palm-leaves  of  the  walls,  and  soon  after  it 
became  evident  that  a considerable  number  of  very  respect- 
ably-sized insects  were  establishing  a Newmarket  on  my 
rugs.  On  striking  a light,  to  my  great  disgust,  I perceived 
that  the  place  was  swarming  with  myriads  of  offensive- 
smelling baratas  (huge  cockroaches  about  two  to  two  and  a 
half  inches  long).  It  was  raining  heavily  outside,  and  the 
men’s  quarters  were  also  infested.  Strong  observations  were 
freely  bestowed  upon  the  absent  jovial  Capituo,  for  we  might 


176  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 


have  avoided  such  an  infliction  by  occupying  the  tent,  had 
vve  known  of  the  prevalence  of  these  repulsive  insects,  but 
seeing  no  other  remedy,  I rolled  myself  in  my  rug,  and  left 
the  vile  odorous  insects  to  their  own  good  will  In  the 
morning,  when  I told  the  Capitao  of  the  nuisance,  he  laughed 
heartily,  and  suggested  that  the  taste  of  an  Englishman  must 
have  been  a great  attraction  to  the  baratas,  for  he  had  never 
known  so  few  in  his  quarters;  after  all,  he  dies  n'lo 

fazein  mal,  sao  mnito  innocentes  ” (they  will  not  do  any  harm, 
they  are  very  innocent).  “Well!  how  about  their  catinga?” 
(odour).  “ Oh!  one  gets  accustomed  to  that.” 

I found  my  baggage  swarming  with  the  disgusting  insects, 
and  it  required  several  days  before  we  could  finally  get  the 
trunks  and  boxes  free  of  them. 

The  Capitao,  and  a neighbour,  a Tenente  Militao  (who  had 
arrived  during  the  previous  evening,  and  who  had  been  the 
prime  mover  in  colonizing  this  Jalapao  district),  accompanied 
us  a part  of  the  way  to  show  the  road  to  the  RibeiTio,  the 
first  of  another  series  of  troublesome  streams  that  we  had  to 
cro.ss  this  day,  where  there  was  no  remedy  but  to  unpack 
everything,  swim  the  animals,  and  send  one’s  clothes  and  all 
the  baggage  across  on  the  men’s  heads,  and  swim  acro.ss  our- 
selves. But  these  Goyanno  rivers,  especially  of  these 
arc  reputed  to  be  so  well  provided  with  strange  and  venomous 
tenants,  that  oiie  cannot  help  a certain  feeling  of  qualmishness 
in  taking  a header,  for  there  arc  jacarJs  (alligators),  electric 
piranhas  (a  very  ferocious  but  small  fish),  and  finally,  a 
certain  Aranha  d’Agua  (literally  water-spider),  that  I have 
been  curious  to  see,  but  had  hitherto  failed  ; according  to  the 
descriptions,  it  is  a species  of  sting-ray,  that  frequents  the 
river-bottoms  near  the  shore,  and  any  one  stepping  upon  it, 
treads  upon  a long  spine  that  projects  several  inches  from 
near  the  end  of  its  tail,  the  wound  causes  great  agony  and 
often  partial  paralysis  of  the  leg.  I was  much  cautioned 
against  it  by  the  Tenente. 

Three  more  similar  portages  we  had  to  make  on  other 


A Tiresome  Ford. 


177 


minor  streams,  and  at  twelve  miles  out  the  tracks  led  us 
again  across  the  Somninho,  there  a considerable  flooded 
stream  about  i20  feet  in  width.  The  water  rushed  alo’ng  at 
a good  pace  where,  at  this  the  best  fording-place,  the  depth 
was  too  great  for  the  men  to  wade  across.  As  it  was  yet 
early,  it  was  determined  to  reach  the  other  side  that  day, 
as  Antonio  thought  we  might  make  a raft  and  ferry  over ; 
accordingly  the  baggage  was  piled  on  the  ground,  and  the 
men  sent  off  with  the  animals  to  colleet  bundles  of  the  fallep 
dry  fronds  of  the  bnritys  in  any  burityzals  of  the  neighbour- 
hood. In  an  hour  they  returned  with  the  animals  well  loaded, 
and  then  set  to  work  to  construct  a raft ; the  long  stalks, 
six  to  eight  feet  long,  exceedingly  light  and  buoyant,  were 
tied  with  cipos  or  vines  into  bundles  about  a foot  in  diameter, 
sDme  half  dozen  of  the  bundles  were  laid  together  and  lashed 
between  some  stout  saplings,  another  layer  of  bundles  was 
then  placed  transversely  upon  and  well  secured  to  the  first, 
and  the  raft  was  complete : it  was  then  duly  launched  and 
loaded  with  the  baggage,  'and  two  men  swam  off  with  it ; 
the  current  carried  them  some  6cx)  feet  down-stream  before 
they  could  gain  the  opposite  shore,  covered  with  dense  bushes 
and  trees,  where  they  had  to  hew  a pathway  through  the 
bushes  with  their  knives.  After  the  baggage  was  safely 
landed,  the  heavy  raft  had  to  be  dragged  up-stream  so  as  to 
fetch  the  landing-place  again  ; this  operation  had  to  be  re- 
peated many  times,  then  the  animals  were  swum  across,  two 
of  them  being  nearly  carried  down-stream  to  some  rapids 
not  far  distant,  and  were  only  saved  by  sheer  good-luck,  in 
getting  entangled  in  some  projecting  roots. 

The  sun  was  low  before  the  tedious  operation  was  com- 
pleted, black  clouds  were  gathering,  thunder  muttering,  and  the 
air  was  close  and  sultry,  all  indications  of  a coming  bad  night. 
We  had  so  far  been  favoured  with  fine  weather,  that 
a continuance  of  such  luck  could  not  be  expected,  especially 
as  April  is  a showery  time,  and  the  next  month  usually  brings 
very  heavy  rains. 


VOL.  II. 


N 


178  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 


The  tent  was  unpacked,  trenches  dug  around  it,  and  all 
made  snug  for  the  night.  The  poor  tent,  so  rarely  used,  had 
often  been  the  subject  of  much  grumbling  by  Joaquim,  who 
said  that  its  weight  was  ruining  his  animals  ; but  that  night 
when  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents,  when  the  winds  howled 
and  blew  in  fierce  gusts,  the  thunder  crashed  and  the  lightning 
flashed,  as  it  only  does  in  the  tropics,  when  withal  the  tent 
stood  firm  and  we  were  all  dry  and  snug  within  its  welcome 
shelter  ; then  no  one  complained  of  the  much  maligned  tent 
that  night. 

The  next  morning  appeared  dark  with  black  clouds,  and  the 
ground  wet  and  soddened  with  yet  heavy  rain  ; the  change, 
after  such  a continuance  of  brilliant  mornings  as  we  had 
experienced  for  so  long,  was  dreary  enough,  and  the  difficulty 
of  making  a fire  and  preparing  breakfast  produced  many  a 
diabo  de  chuva  from  Bob,  but  the  sight  of  the  then  much 
more  flooded  Somninho,  a roaring  impassable  stream,  made 
me  congratulate  myself  that  I had  cro.ssed  it  the  previous 
day. 

About  10  a.m.  the  rain  ceased,  and  we  soon  after  got  under 
way,  but  only  to  go  little  more  than  a mile  before  we  came 
across  another  turbulent  stream,  the  Riberao  do  Di.sabuso, 
wide  and  shallow,  but  flowing  swiftly  over  masses  of  rocks. 

liob  stripped,  and  entered  the  river  to  try  the  ford  ; after  a 
little  wading  he  suddenly  sank  into  a hole  and  was  carried 
off  his  feet,  and  to  our  horror,  was  swept  away  down  the 
stream  amongst  the  jagged  boulders,  and  soon  disa])peared 
out  of  sight  around  a bend  of  the  river.  We  rushed  down 
the  riverside  to  render  any  po.ssible  help,  but  the  banks  were 
so  wooded  that  we  could  not  easily  get  near  the  water  ; we 
.scrambled  through  the  bushes,  trees,  and  vines,  and  finally 
reached  the  top  of  the  bank  where,  on  looking  eagerly  down 
the  stream,  I was  pleased  to  see  my  old  follower  seated  on  a 
rock  and  rubbing  his  shoulder.  In  reply  to  our  shouts,  he 
stood  up  and  waved  his  hand,  jumped  into  the  water  again, 
reached  the  opposite  l)ank,  and  soon  was  seen  running  along. 


Bob’s  Escapade. 


179 


laughing  heartily  and  showing  his  filed  white  teeth,  as  though 
it  had  been  all  a good  joke.  Fortunately  for  him  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  rivers  from  a child,  having  been  brought 
up  on  the  banks  of  the  Abaete,  in  Minas  Gerae.s,  where  he 
worked  as  a garimpeiro  * and  diver. 

He  collected  a quantity  of  stout  cipos  from  a thicket  hard 
by  (he  had  taken  his  knife  with  him,  slung  to  his  waist  by  a 
string),  and  with  these  he  formed  a long  strong  rope,  one 
end  he  secured  to  a tree  on  the  bank,  and  then  he  entered 
the  water  with  the  coil,  gradually  uncoiling  it  as  he  proceeded  ; 
the  water  was  not  above  his  waist  the  greater  part  of  the 
width  of  the  stream  until  he  neared  the  deep  hole  near  our 
side,  where  he  cautiously  proceeded  up-stream  and  found  a 
shallower  passage,  and  finally  arrived  in  safety  amongst  us. 
His  shoulder  was  bleeding  and  much  contused,  and  he  was 
altogether  much  bruised  and  knocked  about,  but  not  seriously 
hurt.  A well-earned  extra  ration  of  cachaca,  applied  inwardly 
and  externally,  considerabl}'-  soothed  his  ruffled  feelings. 
With  much  trouble  and  exertion,  the  baggage  was  transported, 
but  the  animals  gave  much  trouble  ; one  was  taken  across  at  a 
time,  two  men  assisting  each  one  by  holding  well  on  to  the 
halters.  The  cipb  rope  greatly  facilitated  the  process,  in  fact 
it  could  not  have  been  done  without,  so  strong  was  the 
current. 

Several  other  minor  streams  had  to  be  passed  further  on 
with  more  or  less  difficulty,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  we  left 
the  grassy  undulating  country  we  had  been  so  long  accus- 
tomed to,  and  entered  on  rapidly  rising  and  rugged  rocky 
ground,  covered  wdth  the  gnarled  trees  and  bush  of  cerrados, 
the  approach  to  two  lofty  flat-topped  hills  about  three  miles 
apart,  separated  by  a wide  deep  wooded  defile,  whose  slopes 

were  scattered  with  boulders  large  and  small. 

# 

The  hill  on  the  right  is  known  as  the  JMorro  do  Celeste, 
that  on  our  left  as  the  Morro  do  Bote,  or  IMorro  do  Munducuru, 
as  it  is  variously  termed  ; both  hills  are  rich  in  colour,  and 
’ A man  employed  in  searching  for  diamonds. 

N 2 


i8o  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco, 

fringed  on  their  summits  with  bushes  ; a deep  Indian  red  is 
the  prevailing  colour  of  the  precipitous  sides,  rugged  and 
worn  into  deep  cavities,  pinnacles,  turrets,  and  buttresses. 

The  Morro  do  Bote  is  apparently  so  named  from  a 
rough  resemblance  to  a boat  turned  bottom  upwards.  Near 
its  southern  extremity,  a huge  crevice  appears  like  a great 
slit,  the  end  that  is  thus  divided  heels  over  very  much  out  of 
the  perpendicular,  and  ready  at  any  moment  to  form  a great 
landsl'p. 


The  Morro  do  Rote  or  Munducuru. 


It  Struck  me  at  once  that  these  hills  arc  probably  the 
vestiges  of  the  high  table-lands  that  once  extended,  (in 
continuation  of  the  Chapada  da  Mangabcira,)  over  the  whole 
of  this  valley  of  the  Tocantins,  and  that  the  pending 
landslip  of  the  Morro  do  Bote  is  an  c.xamplc  of  the  vast 
denudation  that  has  taken  place,  and  is  still  going  on. 

The  Somninho  passes  about  two  miles  to  the  south  of  the 
hill  in  a deep  valley,  beyond  which  appear  other  flat-topped 
hills. 


A.\  Advi-ntuui:. 


iSi 

The  ro.id  passes  close  to  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
Morro  do  Bote,  where  the  grand  perpendicular  walls,  like 
monstrous  cliffs,  rear  up  500  or  600  feet  above  us,  appearing 
ready  to  fall  and  crush  us  pigmies  with  thousands  of  tons  of 
the  rocks  that  look  so  hoary  and  weather-beaten,  and  showing 
an  infinitude  of  colours  all  darkened  with  the  effects  of  time, 
except  in  a few  places  wdiere  small  slips  have  recently 
occurred,  there  the  colours  are  lighter,  and  the  divisions  of 
strata  are  clearly  defined.  The  lower  part  forms  a natural 
slope  of  sand,  rocks,  and  clay,  covered  with  giant  cacti,  gnarled 
trees,  dwarf  bushes,  and  huge  masses  of  stones.  Some  of  the 
rocks  that  so  freely  cumber  the  surface  of  the  ground  are 
coarse  granulated  .sandstones,  white  red  and  brown,  showing 
occasionally  veins  of  white  quartz  ; amongst  others  are  a few 
pieces  of  amygdaloid  rock.s,  and  ma.sses  of  conglomerate  or 
pudding  stones. 

After  passing  these  venerable  monuments  of  a primitive 
age,  the  track  becomes  a most  diabolical  bit  of  road,  springs 
everywhere  ooze  from  the  ground,  and  form  deep  little 
valleys  of  bogs  between  ridges  of  rocks  and  loose  stones, 
thickly  overgrown  with  tall  blue  cacti,  thorny  bramble, 
and  gnarled  trees  ; we  slipped  down  the  slopes,  got  stuck  in 
the  mora.sse.s,  .scrambled  up  the  ridges,  and  rolled  gaily 
amidst  the  .scattered  rocks  like  a ship  at  .sea,  and  faces  and 
clorties  w'cre  .scratched  and  torn  by  the  innumerable  spines 
and  thorns  that  so  freely  crowd  the  narrow  path. 

I gave  up  the  attempt  to  ride  at  last,  and  went  on  on  foot 
ahead,cuttingastaffon  the  way  to  help  a jump  over  many  pools 
of  stagnant  water.  Some  distance  ahead  of  the  troop,  as  I was 
walking  slowly  down  a slippery  descent  of  mo.ssy  rock.s  and 
clay,  a movement  amidst  the  gra.ss  by  the  side  of  me  attracted 
my  attention,  and  on  stopping  a moment,  the  whirr  of  a rattle- 
snake’s rattle  kindly  informed  me  of  its  proximity.  I re- 
mained quiet,  and  the  bixo  slowly,  emerged  on  to  the  open 
track,  when  I administered  with  my.  staff,  what  one  of  my  old 
comrades,  would,  under  the  circumstances  have  called  a 


1 82  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 

“ slomicking  oneer,”  and  then  carried  away  the  rattle  of  nine 
rings  as  a trophy. 

About  half  an  hour  afterwards,  another  adventure  occurred. 
I had  considerably  outstripped  the  troop,  and  had  passed  the 
rugged  broken  ground,  and  was  slowly  ascending  the  slope 
of  a grassy  glade  surrounded  by  trees  : a stiff  breeze  was 
blowing  towards  me,  and  making  the  trees  and  leaves  rustle 
briskly.  As  I topped  the  slight  eminence,  I was  brought 
suddenly  face  to  face  with  a huge  stag,  at  the  distance  of  about 
twenty  paces,  so  unexpectedly  that  we  were  probably  equally 
astonished  ; the  animal  gave  a start  and  a bound,  and  then 
stood  still,  startled,  yet  looking  at  me  apparently  undecided 
whether  to  charge  or  retreat.  I had  my  heivy  revolver  ready 
immediately,  and  at  the  first  shot  I wounded  him,  he 
stumbled  for  a moment  and  then  lowered  his  splendid 
antlers  for  a charge,  but  a second  and  a third  shot  brought 
him  effectually  to  the  ground.  It  is  not  the  first  time  that 
my  revolver  has  killed  a deer,  but  I certainly  did  not  e.xpect 
to  do  so  in  these  districts,  where  all  game  must  nece.ssarily  be 
very  wild.  The  men  behind,  on  hearing  the  shots,  came  up 
at  a run,  and  told  me  that  the  stag  is  known  as  the  Si/ssi/- 
apara,  “ um  biro  brabo  e biro  atoa " (a  fierce  and  usele.ss 
animal),  and  that  its  flesh  is  perfectly  unpalatable  on  account 
of  its  strong  catinga.  I carried  away  its  six-pronged  antlers, 
that  measured  thirty  inches  from  tip  to  tip,  and  about  thirty- 
six  inches  in  length.  The  animal  stood  four  feet  high  from 
its  haunch  to  the  ground,  and  measured  four  feet  si.x  inches 
from  muzzle  to  tail,  its  body  was  covered  with  long,  coarse, 
tawny  hair ; it  is  a strongly  built  animal,  of  an  exceedingly 
different  type  to  the  ordinary  small  gazelle-like  deer  one 
usually  meets  with  in  Brazil,  and  is  the  largest  known 
species  of  the  deer  family  on  the  South  American  con- 
tinent. 

Quite  late  in  the  afternoon,  near  the  woods  of  a shallow 
dcpre.ssion  of  the  land  known  as  Brejo  do  Celeste,  we  met  a 
party  of  mounted  travellers,  consisting  of  an  elderly  white  man. 


A Partv  of  Tkavfu.ers.  1S3 

hvo  younger  men  and  three  females,  with  several  black  atten- 
dants on  foot  driving  pack  animals.  As  strangers  on  the  road 
are  rarely  seen  in  these  districts,  the  cUlcrly  man  halted  and 
inquired  who  we  were,  and  whither  bound;  on  myrci)lying  to 
I’orto  Franco,  he  informed  me  that  he  was  the  proprietor  of 
that  fazenda,  a Senhor  Capitao  Joao  Rodrigues  dc  Nogucira,* 
and  on  his  way  to  Piauhy  with  part  of  his  family.  I briefly 
acquainted  him  with  the  nature  of  my  business,  ami  he 
was  good  enough  to  write  a hurried  note  to  his  sons  at 
Porto  Franco,  to  give  me  every  attention  and  help.  As  it 
was  getting  late,  and  we  were  about  to  encamp,  I offered  the 
accommodation  of  my  tent,  but  he  declined  it,  as  he  hoped 
to  reach  a small  farm  near ; we  parted  with  mutjiial  wishes  for 
Boa  viagem  (a  good  journey,  and  God  accompany  you,  and 
God  permit  that  you  may  be  fortunate). 

Certainly  the.se  Geralistas  of  Jalapao  are  extremely  kind 
to  me,  and  as  a stranger  and  a traveller  I cannot  but  help 
feeling  a strong  sense  of  gratitude  to  them  for  their  frank 
hospitality  and  an  appreciation  of  their  kindly  natures. 

\Vc  pitched  camp  there  and  raised  the  tent;  the  night 
pa.s.sed  by  quietly,  but  with  several  showers  of  rain. 

After  leaving  the  Brejo  do  Celeste  we  struck  acro.ss  a 
comparatively  flat  stretch  of  barren  Geraes,  or  canipos,  for 
about  eight  miles  of  deep  .sandy  soil,  dotted  with  sparse  dwarf 
vegetation,  such  as  scattered  tufts  of  grass,  dwarf  piassaba 
palms,  cactus,  and  a few  bushes.  At  the  end  of  these  eight 
miles  there  is  a sharp  descent  to  a deep  wide  valley,  known 
as  O hairdo  (the  great  lowland),  where  we  found  the  first 
habitation  since  leaving  Boa  Esperan9a,  consisting  of  a gra.ss 
hut  and  a small  roca,  owned  by  a negro  and  his  family,  who 
regaled  us  with  milk  and  roasted  aipim. 

A slight  ascent,  and  a ride  of  four  miles  over  another  flat 
campes,  brought  us  to  the  edge  of  the  highlands  that  enclose 
the  great  hollow  wherein  is  situated  Porto  Franco.  We  de- 
scended, or  rather  scrambled  down  the  precipitous  slopes  of 
® Captain  John  Rodenck  of  Walnut-tree. 


184  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 


the  table-land  by  a rough  path,  steep  and  stony,  and  finally 
arrived  at  our  destination. 

Like  all  the  other  farms  of  Jalapao,  the  fazenda  do  Porto 
Franco  is  also  quite  a modern  place,  but  rather  substantially 
constructed,  with  adobe  walls  and  tiled  roofs,  and  a broad  open 
verandah  that  extends  along  the  front  of  the  residence. 

The  captain  must  be  well-to-do,  for  the  numerous  scattered 
huts,  small  outhouses  and  barns,  the  large  cattle  currals,  and 
a goodly  number  of  retainers  indicated  quite  a large  establish- 
ment ; the  wonder  is,  how  profitable  results  can  be  obtained 
by  any  means  of  cattle-breeding  or  farming,  so  far  from  a 
market,  and  that  of  Piauhy  only  a poor  and  limited  one. 

A hearty  welcome  was  bestowed  upon  us,  as  all  strangers 
would  similarly  receive  at  this  lonely  place,  for  there  are  no 
more  habitations  between  it  and  the  banks  of  the  Tocantins, 
and  a passing  stranger  must  really  be  a godsend.  Doubtle.ss 
the  tenants  have  been  from  an  early  age  accustomed  to  such 
solitudes,  yet,  even  so,  a fresh  face  must  be  as  grateful  a sight 
to  them  as  it  was  to  Robinson  Crusoe. 

With  a sigh  of  relief  I dismounted  for  the  last  time  from  the 
mule  that  had  carried  me  so  far,  and  so  well,  for  another 
chapter  of  my  travels  and  experiences  had  ended,  as  there 
terminated  for  a time  my  journeys  by  land. 

The  room  I was  shown  into  was  very  plain  and  homely, 
very  homely  indeed  ; bare  earthen  walls  and  floor,  bare 
benches  and  bare  tables,  and  not  by  any  means  a superabun- 
dance of  the  latter  two  items.  The  tenants  were  of  varying 
tones  of  brown  and  “yallcr,”  and  their  faces  and  cotton  clothes 
would  have  been  all  the  better  for  a good  wash  ; yet,  after 
their  fashion,  they  were  extremely  kind,  and  showed  a 
thorough  goodwill  to  provide  creature-comforts.  A very 
smutty  black  girl  from  tlic  kitchen  brought  coffee,  a mohujue 
brought  sugar-cane  chopped  into  conveniently  eatable  pieces, 
mine  host  produced  his  best  rcstillo,  with  sugar  and  lemons 
and  water. 

But  despite  the  goodwill  of  my  friends,  I was  not  happy 


I Bkcomh  Wkakied  with  mv  Tkavkls.  1S5 

with  the  prospect  of  a clay  or  two  of  delay,  in  making  pre- 
parations for  the  journey  down  the  river.  I had  then  been  so 
long  on  my  peregrinations,  that  occasionally  the  weariness  and 
monotony  of  the  life  produced  an  intense  craving  to  get  back 
again  to  the  outer  world,  and  at  least  hear  what  was  there 
going  on  and  making  its  history,  for  I had  been  without  any 
European  news  or  letters  for  four  months.  Captain  Burton, 
in  the  early  part  of  his  journeys  in  Brazil,  expatiates  on  the 
glories  of  solitude,  and  says,  “ How  unhappy  is  the  traveller, 
who,  like  St.  Hilaire,  is  ever  bemoaning  the  want  of  ‘ society,’ 
of  conversation  ; and  who,  ‘ reduced  to  the  society'  of  his 
plants,’  con.soles  himself  only'  by  hoping  to  .see  the  end  of  his 
journey' ! '^Une  nionotonie  sans  egale,  une  solitude  prof 0 tide;  rien 
qui  put  me  distraire  un  instant  de  tnon  ennui.'  This,  too,  from 
a naturalist.  . . . 'Je  finis  par  me  dcsesptPer  a force  d' ennui,  et  jc 
nc  pus  m'empeclier  de  maudire  les  voyagesl  One  understands 
the  portrait  which  he  draws  of  himself,  veiled,  with  parasol 
to  ward  off  the  sun,  and  a twig  to  switch  away'  the  ticks. 
It  suggests  a .scientific  Mr.  Ledbury.”  As  my'  defective  nature 
would  not  permit  me  to  appreciate  the  captain’s  love  of  soli- 
tude, and  not  po.sse.ssing  the  advantage  of  the  monsieur’s 
.scientific  lore,  my'  long  sojourn  amongst  the  Matutos  and 
Sertanejos  began  to  produce  its  effects.  It  had  lasted  so 
long  that  I could  heartily'  .sympathize  with  the  monsieur’s 
want  of  a sight  of  civilized  humanity',  even  with  all  its 
defects  and  conventionalities.  Even  the  captain,  at  the  ter- 
mination of  his  journey',  breathed  a gentle  sigh  of  relief,  and 
said,  “ ^ly  task  is  done..  I won  its  reward,  and  the  strength 
passed  away'  from  me.” 

I pa.s.sed  a day  at  Porto  Franco,  verily'  one  of  the  dullest 
corners  of  God’s  earth,  and  to  which,  in  comparison,  an 
Engli-sh  country  village  on  a rainy  day  is  a place  of  wild 
excitement.  It  rained  a good  Brazilian  rain,  but  I made  a 
few  excursions  on  foot  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  put  my 
notes  in  order ; that  enabled  me  to  get  through  the  time, 
otherwise  a few  days’  life  there  would  probably'  have  reduced 


i86 


Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 


one  to  a state  of  imbecility,  or  to  the  normal  quiescent  state 
of  the  country  people. 

It  is  probably  a merciful  dispensation  of  Providence,  that 
these  people  do  develop  such  a power  of  sleeping  to  fill  up 
the  void  of  doing  nothing.  Mine  hosts  were  uneducated  un- 
travelled  country  folk,  kind  affable  and  exceedingly  hospitable 
certainly,  but  an  hour’s  conversation  soon  exhausts  their 
little  stock  of  information,  and  when  they  weary  of  pump- 
ing me,  their  awful  yawns  express  their  inanition,  and  a 
desire  to  descansar  (I'cst  a little)  in  their  hammocks.  Their 
occupations  arc  those  connected  with  stock-raising  (about 
2000  head  of  cattle  belong  to  the  fazenda),  and  in  cultivating 
a small  plot  of  ground  to  supply  their  principal  provisions. 
Every  year,  the  cattle  are  collected,  and  the  calves  and 
heifers  branded  with  the  stamp  of  the  fazenda,  a certain 
number  of  bullocks  are  driven  to  the  market-towns  of  Piauhy, 
200  or  500  miles  away,  where  they  only  realize  3/.  or  4/.  per 
head.  A certain  number  arc  also  slaughtered,  and  the  meat, 
made  into  dried  beef,  is  sent  with  the  hides,  down  the  Rio  do 
Somno  on  a burity  raft,  to  Pedro  Affonso,  a small  village  on 
the  Tocantins,  at  the  mouth  of  the  first-named  river,  where 
they  arc  sold  to  the  traders  descending  the  Tocantins  to 
Para.  The  raft  is  abandoned  on  reaching  its  destination, 
and  the  men  return  by  land.  The  two  men  who  undertake 
these  journeys  I have  engaged  to  take  me  down  the  river. 

In  the  neighbourhood  there  is  little  to  interest  one.  The 
land  is  low  and  forms  a considerable  hollow  in  the  surround- 
ing higher  lands  that  enclose  it  with  sharp  precipitous  slopes. 
The  soil  is  a light  sandy  loam,  thinly  covered  with  tufts  of 
grass,  small  bushes,  dwarf  palms,  ground  cacti  [cabcai  dc 
frcide),  and  occasionally  a few  scattered  clumps  of  woods  or 
a grove  of  buritis.  It  is  about  400  feet  below  the  valley  of 
the  source  of  the  Sapao,  and  is  less  c.\ posed  to  the  fresh 
breezes  that  sweep  those  highlands  so  uninterruptedly,  and 
no  longer  is  cxi)cricnccd  the  wondcrhilly  c-xhilarating  atnio- 
si)herc  peculiar  to  those  districts. 


Porto  Franco  Farm. 


187 


The  rora  of  the  fazenda,  is  situated  in  a clearing  of  the 
woods  on  the  borders  of  the  river,  about  a mile  away.  There, 
cotton,  coffee,  sugar-cane,  beans,  mandioca,  castor-plant, 
maize,  yams,  .sweet  potatoes,  all  grow  in  great  luxuriance, 
but  in  the  wildest  confusion,  a perfect  wildcrne.s.s,  for  little 
more  is  done  than  to  roughly  clear  the  ground,  burn  the 
felled  trees  and  bushes,  and  plant  in  the  rudest  form  the 
various  seeds  and  cuttings  of  the  different  vegetables  that  are 
left  undisturbed  until  they  mature.  The  charred  blackened 
stumps,  the  scattered  boulders  of  stone,  the  wild  extraneous 
growth  of  weeds  [samambaia  the  Brazilian  bracken,  canebrake, 
brambles  and  grasses),  that  grow  everywhere  amidst  the  vege- 
table.s,  and  the  roughly-constructed  fences,  and  the  surround- 
ing tangled  woods,  present  an  aspect  of  peculiar  dreariness, 
neglect,  and  untidy  cultivation  ; just  so  much  is  done  as  is 
only  absolutely  necessary  and  no  more.  l?ut  in  such  wild 
roras,  and  in  the  enclosing  forest,  there  is  plenty  of  interesting 
matter  for  the  botanist,  the  naturalist,  and  the  entomologist, 
in  the  mar\-ellous  growth  of  a varied  vegetation,  in  the  many 
birds,  butterflies,  and  beetles,  and  the  capyvaras,  tapirs,  cotias, 
pacas  and  coatis  that  create  such  great  depredations,  and 
destroy  far  more  than  they  consume,  a source  of  perpetual 
worry  to  the  fazendeiro. 

Although  there  are  some  dozen  men  on  the  farm,  sons,  or 
slaves,  of  the  Capitao,  their  labour  is  badly  and  ineffectively 
utilized.  During  my  stay,  I did  not  see  any  one  man  do  a 
fair  day’s  work  ; the  slaves  do  pretty  much  as  they  like,  they 
do  not  roll  in  the  lap  of  luxury,  certainly,  but  they  are 
leniently,  even  kindly  treated,  and  many  a poor  labourer  at 
home  would  envy  their  lot.  The  whitey-brown  and  black 
women  appear  to  do  the  mo.st  work,  in  cleaning  by  hand  and 
spinning  cotton,  in  weaving  a rough  cloth,  in  pounding 
maize  or  castor  beans,  or  making  farinha  or  rapadura,  and 
even  work  in  the  fields  when  necessary.  • 

The  climate  of  this  Jalapao  district  is  certainly  healthy, 
it  is  dry  and  hot  on  the  plateaus  and  hills,  but  always 


1 88  Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 

tibmpercd  with  cool  fresh  breezes  ; in  the  low  wooded  vallev  s 
the  heat  is  naturally  more  humid.  The  temperature  ranges 
during  the  year  from  76°  to  88°  in  the  daytime,  and  from 
70°  to  78°  at  night.  I have  not  of  course  been  able  to  verify 
this  personally,  but  from  what  I have  noticed,  and  from  in- 
formation received,  I calculate  the.se  are  the  approximate 
ranges.  There  are  no  endemic  fevers  or  diseases,  sezoes  and 
maletas,  that  is,  remittent  and  intermittent  fevers,  very  rarely 
occur.  There  are  comparatively  no  mosquito.s,  carrapatos, 
.sand-flies,  nor  other  insect  pests,  e.xcept  in  the  rorasa-nd  woods, 
where  a few  ants,  mosquitos  and  carrapatos  arc  occasionally 
met  with. 

I am  told,  however,  that  jaguars  and  the  great  anacondas, 
[sucurihns)  arc  the  causes  of  considerable  loss  amongst  the 
cattle,  and  the  hunting  of  thc.se  destroyers,  and  of  the  deer  and 
perciiz  (partridges)  that  abound  in  these  districts,  furms  the 
chief  recreation  and  change  in  the  monotonous  existence  of 
thc.se  people. 

The  rainy  months  arc  October,  November,  December, 
January,  February,  and  May;  April  is  showery,  March,  June, 
July,  August,  and  September  arc  dry. 

Salt  is  the  great  want  of  these  inland  districts,  it  has  to  be 
brought  from  the  Rio  Sao  Franci.sco  through  Piduhy,  or  from 
the  coast,  and  is  naturally  exceedingly  c.xpcnsivc,  and  forms 
the  chief  item  of  c.xpcnsc  on  the  cattle-farms.  It  is  the  great 
necessity  and  article  of  traffic  all  over  the  inhabited  interior  of 
llrazil.  The  Don  Pedro  II.  Railway  alone  carries  yearly 
into  the  interior  about  19,000  tons. 

Although  this  Jalapao  is  so  very  thinly  inhabited,  and  in 
.spite  of  the  many  stories  and  rumours  I had  heard  to  the 
contrary,  I could  glean  no  evidence  of  the  c.xistcncc  of  the 
aborigines  in  a wild  state  in  its  neighbourhood  ; such  as  there 
are,  arc  aldeado  ox  .settled  in  villages,  under  the  care  of  Italian 
missionary  monk.s,  and  designated  as  indios  mansos'*  in  contra- 
distinction to  indios  brabos?  There  is  a village  of  the  Coroado 
' Tame  Indians  * Wild  Indians. 


Good-1!VE  to  my  Old  Followers.  1S9 

on  the  borders  of  the  Manoel  Alv’cs  Pequeno,  about  lOD  miles 
to  the  north  west,  another  of  Caraujos  near  the  source  of 
the  Manoel  Alves  Grande,  about  sixty  miles  to  the  north,  and 
another  of  Cherentes  on  the  Rio  Ipiabanha,  seventy  miles  to 
the  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  do  Somno. 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day  my  crew  of  two  men, 
Jacinto  and  Jesuino,  anived,  and  set  about  collecting  materials 
for  constructing  a raft  ; on  the  same  day  my  troop  and  fol- 
lowers, Jose  Grosso,  Antonio  and  Roberto,  with  the  two  mules  of 
Snr.  Jose,  returned  by  the  Sapao,  which  will  soon  be  utilized  as  a 
.•■hort  cut  from  Santa  Rita  to  these  districts,  but  Rodrigues 
had  not  recovered  from  his  numerous  scares,  and  preferred  to 
return  to  the  Barra  do  Rio  Grande  by  a long  detour  through 
the  inhabited  districts  of  Paniagua  in  Piauhy,  rather  than  b\- 
the  more  direct  route  down  the  Sapao.  He  said,  “ No,  sir  ! 
I do  not  want  to  know  any  more  of  that  wild  country,  not 
for  anything,  Decs  deliver  me.  In  a white  folk’s  land,  yes 
sirrcc,  I am  disposed  to  travel  where  j'ou  will,  but  not  in  those 
wilds  of  the  diaboJ’  Poor  Rodrigues,  he  was  an  honest 
straightforward  fellow,  but  an  arrant  coward.  Although  m\- 
contract  with  him  was  to  take  me  on  to  Carolina  on  the 
Tocantins  for  a stipulated  sum,  this  sum  I now  paid  him, 
8350,000  (say  35/.),  with  a gratu  ty  of  another  850,000,  that 
after  all  was  a low  price  for  the  use  and  sendees  of  three 
men  and  seven  mules,  for  a journey  of  460  rfiiles,  (or  rather 
500,  including  detours'),  that  occupied  two  month.s,  besides  the 
time  expended  in  returning ; for  allowing  one  milreis  (two 
shilling.s)  per  day  for  each  man  and  one  for  each  animal,  it 
would  amount  to  8500,000.  In  Minas  Gcracs  five  and  even 
sometimes  ten  milreis  per  day  is  the  hire  of  an  ordinary 
mule. 

My  especial  attendant,  Bob,  remained  with  me,  and  agreed 
to  accompany  me  to  the  coast.  I can  only  .say  that  I parted 
witn  my  other  followers  with  regret,  fer  never  could  a traveller 
desire  a set  of  men  more  patient  in  all  trials  and  difficulties, 
more  willing,  and  obliging,  and  respectful,  than  these  good 


Matto  Grande  to  Porto  Franco. 


190 

fellows.  Rodrigues’  timidity  was  a weakness,  but  it  only 
created  a laugh  at  his  expense. 

The  two  new  raftmen,  (dalseiros),  were  two  young  men,  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  over  six  feet  in  height,  broad-shoul- 
dered and  deep-chested  powerful  fellows,  their  colour  a 
clear  dark  olive,  their  hair,  long  black  and  slightly  curly, 
their  faces  were  hairless,  and  their  features  sharp  and  promi- 
nent, and  different  both  to  the  negro,  or  the  common  South 
American  Indian  type.  They  set  about  their  work  in  a quiet 
methodical  sort  of  way,  were  very  quiet  in  their  manner,  and 
somewhat  disposed  to  surliness. 

The  raft  was  finally  constructed  and  ready  ; but  on  going 
aboard  the  clumsy  heavy  craft,  it  oscillated  considerably  with 
my  weight,  and  I began  to  doubt  what  it  would  do  under  the 
weight  of  crew  and  cargo,  there  was  much  fear  that  Plimsoll’s 
load-line  would  disappear.  To  test  its  stability,  all  the  bag- 
gage and  provisions  were  stowed  aboard,  and  then  the  crew 
were  called  to  make  a trial  trip.  When  all  were  aboard,  its 
surface  was  level  with  the  water,  and  it  rolled  very  unplea- 
santly with  our  movements ; however,  we  poled  o.ff  for  the 
trial,  but  a few  yards  were  sufficient  to  prove  its  crankiness, 
even  Jacinto,  who  had  hitherto  warranted  its  powers  of  carry- 
ing, called  out,  “Jesuino  ! Jesuino  ! Let’s  get  back  at  once! 
I can  do  nothing  with  this  l?ixo.  I won’t  go  in  it,  not  for 
anything.”  After  a sharp  struggle  with  the  current  we  reached 
the  shore  again. 

The  raft  had  to  be  dismantled,  and  reconstructed  with 
another  layer  of  bundles  of  burity  leaf-stems,  that  will  make 
the  third.  There  was  no  going  away  that  day,  as  horses  had 
to  be  arranged  to  go  a few  miles  to  fetch  the  c.xtra  leaf-stems 
required.  The  men  worked  well,  and  late  in  the  evening 
another  larger  raft  (eight  feet  by  twelve)  was  finished,  and  in 
the  morning  when  we  loaded  it  with  cargo  and  crew  it  was 
fairly  steady. 

A kind  of  gipsy  tent  (five  feet  by  seven  feet)  was  then  made, 
by  bending  into  a series  of  scmi-circular  arches  a number  of 


The  Raft. 


191 

Pindahiba  sticks,  secured  in  position  by  horizontal  rows  of 
bamboos,  one  foot  apart,  the  whole  was  then  thatched  with 
palm-leaves,  and  finally  covered  with  dried  raw  hides  : this 
shelter  formed  my  home  for  several  days.  The  steering 
capacities  of  the  craft  were  of  cour.se  nil,  and  although  there 
were  many  awkward  bits  of  water  before  us,  the  guidance  of 
the  cumbersome  craft  must  depend  upon  the  strength  and 
activity  of  the  polemen. 

The  worst  place  we  shall  have  to  face  is  the  Apertada 
Hora  (the  narrowed  hour,  i.e.  an  hour  of  danger),  where, 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  the  prospects  of  a successful, 
or  a di.sastrous  passage,  are  about  equal.  This  rapid,  I 
am  told,  rushes  with  great  force  over  and  amongst  in- 
numerable rocks,  between  shoreless  walls  of  perpendicular 
cliffs  : when  the  river  is  flooded,  the  rocks  are  submergctl, 
and  when  the  water  is  low  they  are  high  above  the  current, 
and  in  either  case  the  descent  can  be  effected  with  compara- 
tive safety,  but  when  the  river  is  only  half-flooded,  the  danger 
is  very  great,  and  the  rapid  well-nigh  impassable,  owing  to 
the  absence  of  any  defined  channel,  and  the  difficulty  of 
discerning  the  position  of  the  rocks.  As  the  river  may  be  in 
any  one  of  these  conditions  when  we  face  the  Apertada  Horn, 
the  meanwhile,  will  be  a rather  anxious  time  until  we  are  out 
of  the  peril. 


Departure  from  Porto  Franco,  on  the  Rio  do  Somno,  Goyaz. 


CHAPTER  XL 

FROM  PORTO  FRANCO  DOWN  THE  RIO  DO  SOMXO  TO  THE 

TOCANTINS. 

Adeos  to  Porto  Franco — On  the  Rio  do  Somno — Our  first  pancada — 
Camp  ashore — Indian  cookery — A perilous  prospect — A gusty  even- 
ing— A jaguar's  roar — Morning  on  the  river — The  banks  of  the 
Somno— Curious  bees’-nest — Birds  and  animals  of  the  river-side — 
Pancadas — Feroz,  and  his  swimming  powers — A wild  cat,  shot — 
Cookingunderdifificulties — A roughnight — Bad  prospects — Approach 
to  the  rapids — Shooting  the  rapids  of  “O  Funil '’—Imprisoned  in 
the  valley  of  the  river — Grand  scenery — Borne  onwards  in  a rush  of 
waters— A sudden  and  terrible  spectacle  — In  the  vortex  of  the 
Apertada  Hora — A few  breathless  moments — On  the  rocks — A wild 
struggle — A narrow  escape — Disappearance  of  the  river — An  un- 
expected outlet — Splendid  behaviour  of  the  crew — Loss  and  damage 
— A solitude — An  intersecting  mountain  range — An  uncomfortable 
night — Signs  of  diamonds— Peccaries  again — cautious  advance  in 
the  woods — Sent  up  a tree — Skirmishing — Pork  for  dinner — Patience 
and  obedience  of  Feroz— The  wild  banana — Monkeys — Life  on  the 
Somno — Bob’s  damp  bed— A hot  day — A squalid  farm— The  Rio 
Perdido— The  shores  filled  with  animal  life — The  lower  Somno — 
Reach  the  Tocantins. 

April  25. — When  ready  for  an  early  .start  in  the  morninij. 

the  crew  recollected  that  they  had  to  wash  their  clothes,  and 


OuK  I'lUST  Pancada. 


193 


so  delayed  the  departure  for  an  hour.  At  last  all  was  ready, 
and  the  people  of  the  fazenda,  Senhor  Joaquim,  and  the  other 
sons  of  Capitao  Rodrigues,  a Senhor  Manoel  da  Fonseca 
Galvao,  and  the  men,  women,  and  children  of  the  farm,  lined 
the  banks  and  cheered  us  heartily  ; for  a balsa  voyage  down 
the  Somno,  was  an  event  in  their  uneventful  lives,  and  doubly 
so  when  made  by  a stranger. 

We  pole  out  into  the  current  and  soon  glide  away  from 
the  little  crowd  on  the  bank,  who  send  us  cheer  after  cheer, 
and  their  shouts  of  “ Boa  viagem','  and  “ Adeos ! ate’  a volta  ! ” 
or  “ff/c  oiitra  vista  ! " (Good-*byc ! until  you  return!  or,  we 
see  you  again  !)  grow  fainter  and  fainter  as  we  drift  onwards 
and  disappear  round  a bend  of  the  river.  Good-bye,  my  friends, 
you  have  treated  the  cstrangeiro  with  j’our  rough  frank  hos- 
pitality, and  although  you  may  be  careless  and  indolent,  you 
are  certainly  kind  and  genuine  ; your  motto  should  be  “suffi- 
cient for  the  day  arc  the  necessities  thereof.^’ 

Once  again  on  a river,  gliding  softly  over  the  gently- 
rippling  waters,  for  the  raft  is  poled  out  to  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  and  we  drift  along  at  about  two  or  three  miles  per 
hour. 

The  Somno,  is  here  not  generally  more  than  240  or  300  feet 
wide,  but  in  some  of  the  bends  it  widens  out  to  350  to  400  feet. 
Its  depth  is  very  variable  ; in  some  places  it  is  twenty  feet, 
in  others  only  five  or  six  feet.  The  water  is  beautifully  clear 
and  transparent,  and  the  scenery  of  the  banks  is  inexpressibly 
charming.  In  many  places  they  rise  up  into  lofty  many- 
coloured  cliffs  of  sandstone,  topped  with  forest  and  veiled 
with  trailing  flowering  vines.  In  other  places,  the  campos 
extends  to  ruddy  banks  and  white  sandy  shores,  in  long 
slopes  of  greensward.  In  the  shadowed  pools  of  water  at  the 
bends,  the  lovely  banks  are  mirrored  as  in  a looking-glass. 

A few  miles  below  Porto  Franco  we  passed  our  first  pan- 
cada,  (as  a rush  of  water  over  the  shallows  is  locally  termed,) 
where  we  sped  along  amidst  the  wavelets  that  made  our 
craft  dance  again,  and  swept  past  black  pointed  rocks, 

VOL.  II.  ■ O 


194 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


cleverly  avoided  by  the  exertions  of  the  men,  who  displayed 
great  physical  strength,  cool  nerve,  and  a rapid  comprehen- 
sion of  the  circumstances  ; they  handled  their  long  twenty- 
four  feet  poles  like  light  fishing-rods,  giving  a thrust  here, 
a thrust  there  at  the  rocks,  and  so  avoided  the  Scyllas  and 
Charybdis  on  either  side,  and  gained  the  peaceful  waters  ahead. 
They  were  a few.moments  of  mild  excitement,  just  enough  to 
make  one’s  eyes  sparkle,  and  cause  one  to  hold  well  on  to 
the  roof  of  the  state-room. 

It  is  certainly  a novel  feeling  after  the  late  continuous 
daily  journeys  on  mule-back,  to  find  oneself  dreamily  reclining 
on  the  raft,  dabbling  in  the  rippling  water,  and  watching 
the  ever-changing  banks  flit  by  like  the  changes  of  a cosmo- 
rama  ; it  is  all  so  idle,  and  yet  so  pleasant  ; but  there  is  quite 
enough  occupation  to  watch  the  bearings  of  the  course,  calcu- 
late the  distance,  and  sketch  in  the  position  of  the  many 
streams  and  rivulets,  that  join  the  river  on  either  side,  and  also 
to  sound  the  depth  as  we  drift  along. 

We  have  to  make  an  early  halt,  for  the  percussion-caps  of 
our  only  gun  have  been  left  at  Porto  Franco,  and  Jacinto 
must  return  overland  to  fetch  them. 

We  haul-to  for  the  night  in  a snug  little  cove,  by  the  side  of 
a beach  of  silvery  wdiite  sand.  On  the  top  of  the  bank,  there 
is  only  the  meagre  vegetation  of  the  campos,  that  stretches 
far  away  in  great  earth-waves  of  grass,  dotted  occasion- 
ally with  a few  gnarled  distorted  trees  and  a little  dwarf 
bush.  Some  space  is  cleared  in  the  grass,  the  heavy  tent  is 
with  difficulty  dragged  up  the  bank  and  raised  (for  the  after- 
noon shows  signs  of  a dirty  nightj  ; wood  is  collected,  and  a 
brisk  fire  made,  and  a plunge  and  swim  in  the  clear  waters 
of  the  stream  is  enjoyed,  even  with  the  chance  of  meeting 
aranhas  d'aqua,  electric  cels,  piranhas,  alligators,  and  other 
hixos. 

Afterwards,  some  fishing-tackle  is  prepared  and  baited,  and 
a few  excellent  fish  are  soon  caught,  and  then  cooked  by 
jesuino  in  Indian  fashion.  A hole,  some  six  inches  deep,  is 


A I’kuilous  I’kosi-kct. 


195 


scraped  out  in  the  sand,  the  fish  are  cleaned,'  wrapped  in  the 
aromatic  leaves  of  sassafras, placed  in  the  hole,  and  covered 
with  sand.  A fire  is  then  made  above  it,  and  the  fish,  fresh 
and  delicate,  are,  like  the  Egyptians,  left  to  “ stew  in  their 
own  juice,”  and  right  good  is  the  result. 

The  clouds  thicken  and  darken  as  night  comes  on  apace, 
and  soon  great  gusts  of  wind  test  the  tent-pegs,  then  down 
comes  the  rain  in  sheets  of  water.  The  raft  is  well  secured, 
and  we  adjourn  to  the  ho.spitable,  but  bare  shelter  of  the 
tent,  its  only  appointments  being  a few  hides  laid  on  the 
ground,  and  a castor-oil  lamp  suspended  to  the  tent-pole. 
As  we  sip  our  coffee  and  enjoy  a whiff,  Jesuino  recounts  some 
of  the  yarns  of  the  early  settlers,  and  thus  an  hour  or  two  of 
the  long  evening  is  wiled  away.  A good  deal  of  the  chat 
turns  upon  the  Apertada  Hora  rapids,  and  the  prospects  of 
its  good  or  bad  conditions,  for  Jesuino  had  always  gone  down 
the  river  in  the  rainy,  or  in  the  dry,  season,  an  J in  the  irregular 
weather  of  April,  it  is  apparently  a ” toss  up  ” whether  we 
shall  come  to  grief,  or  get  through  with  even  damage,  but,  as  ’ 
Jesuino  put  it,  with  the  fatalism  of  a Turk,  “ Se  Deos  quizer,cs- 
capartinos  senao  morreretnos"  (If  God  wills  it,  we  shall. escape  ; 
if  not,  we  shall  die'.  That  was  a very  dubious  prospect,  but  I 
conso’ed  myself  by  making  due  allowances  for  the  prov'crbial 
Brazilian  exaggeration  of  dangers. 

Now,  how  the  wind  howls  and  shakes  the  tent,  making 
the  canvas  flap  with  loud  reports,  and  outside,  where  the  rain 
has  long  since  extinguished  the  fire,  a dense  blackness  pre- 
vails, and  the  night  is  noisy  with  sounds  of  rustling  leaves 
and  creaking  trunks  and  branches.  Certainly  the  air  of  a 
picnic,  with  which  we  commenced  the  evening,  is  no  more, 
and  I find  that  without  the  usual  daily  exercise,  the  hide  on 
the  ground  seems  to  discover  more  angles  and  corners  than 
usual  in  one’s  body. 

About  ten  o’clock  we  were  awakened  by  a low  growl 

' The  Indians  do  not  previously  clean  the  fish,  but  I thought  it  as  well 
to  do  so.  - Ncctandra  cymbarum. 

O 2 


196 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


from  Feroz.  At  first  we  heard  nothing  but  the  drip  drip 
from  the  trees  (for  the  storm  had  passed  away)  ; then  was 
unmistakably  heard  the  distant  roar  of  a jaguar.  Feroz 
growled  again  and  made  a bolt  for  the  tent  door,  but  was  caught 
just  in  time  and  chained  up,  otherwise  he  would  have  gone 
boldly  to  the  fight,  and  then  there  would  have  been  an  end 
to  my  dog.  My  revolver  was  my  only  fire-arm,  as  Jacinto 
had  not  yet  returned  with  the  percussion-caps,  and  I must 
confess  that  it  is  not  pleasant  to  feel  that  only  a fold  of  can- 
vas shields  one  from  a prowling  jaguar,  going  about  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour.  Happily,  the  next  roars  became 
more  and  more  distant,  and  finally  were  heard  no  more,  but 
the  incident  banished  sleep,  and  made  the  night  long  and 
weary.^  I finally  left  the  woodeny  hide,  crept  down  to  the 
raft  and  crawled  into  the  less  bone-searching  box-bed. 

In  the  early  hours  of  morning,  Jacinto  arrived,  and  after 
another  refreshing  swim  in  the  river,  we  got  away  by  day- 
break. 

The  soft  tones  of  the  dawn  of  a fine  morning  fell  alike 
upon  field  and  flood,  and  tinged  all  creation  with  its  rosy 
hues.  The  richly-coloured  banks  glowed  with  the  warm  light, 
that  made  the  dripping  leaves  of  forest,  the  ferns  and  flowers 
of  the  shore  all  flash  and  sparkle  like  jewels.  On  the  river, 
here  and  there,  patches  of  rising  vapour  partly  obscured  its 
sheets  of  gleaming  gold,  until  a gentle  breeze  carried  away 
the  mist  in  the  faintest  of  clouds.  The  fish  splashed  in  the 
smoking  waters,  gay  blue-bronze  kingfishers  darted  from  tlieir 
perches  on  the  bleached  skeleton  trunks  of  stranded  snag.s, 
white  herons  skimmed  the  waters  with  wide  outstretched 
wing ; clouds  of  noisy,  chattering  parroque;s  flew  by, 
numerous  small  birds  twittered  and  chirruped,  and  in  the  woods 
the  roars  of  gnarihas  or  howling  monkeys  echoed  and  re- 
echoed from  cliff  to  cliff  of  the  banks.  It  was  a picture,  that 
even  in  the  absence  of  personal  comfort,  one  could  gaze  upon 

* Tliis  is  the  only  occasion  in  all  my  journeys  that  was  likely  to  be 
productive  of  a Jaguar  adventure. 


Curious  Bkk’s  Nf.st.  197 

with  delight,  and  all  nature  seemed  to  welcome  the  rosy  dawn 
and  pure  fresh  air,  after  the  boisterous  darksome  night. 

The  scenery  of  the  banks  is  ever  changing,  for  the  country 
inland,  (mainly  campos,)  is  a series  of  undulations,  the  valleys 
terminate  in  wooded  lowlands  by  the  river-side,  and  the  spurs, 
or  ridges,  form  cliffs  si.xty  to  eighty  feet  high.  These  cliffs 
show  an  e.xtremely  picturesque  and  wonderfully  diversified 
appearance.  Often  their  perpendicular  faces  are  covered 
with  long  hanging  masses  of  flowering  vines  and  creepers, 
and  their  clefts  filled  with  masses  of  ferns  and  mosses, 
watered  by  the  moisture  of  dropping  water ; sometimes 
streamlets  form  little  jets  of  water,  and  fall  in  a sheet  of 
sparkling  spray  from  the  tops  of  banks  ; at  other  times  the  cliffs 
present  bare  smooth  surfaces  of  variously-coloured  rocks,  on 
which  a very  curious  structure  often  attracted  my  attention  ; 
in  a full  view,  it  resembles  a dark  bullock’s  hide  stretched 
and  nailed  to  the  wall  of  rock,  averaging  eight  by  six 
feet  in  length  and  width,  sideways  it  appears  inflated  and 
distended,  and  culminates  in  a hanging  point,  or  apex,  near  its 
lower  side.  These  curious  formations  arc  the  nests  of  the 
shupc,  a bee  that  produces  great  quantities  of  e.xcellent  honey, 
but  are  terrible  stingers,  and  from  the  positions  the  nests  are 
in,  half-way  up  the  smooth  surface  of  the  rocks,  are  difficult 
of  access,  unless  the  gatherer  is  enveloped  in  leather,  and 
lowered  down  by  ropes  from  above,  which  is  sometimes  done. 

Altogether,  the  Somno,  is  thus  far,  a beautiful  stream  in  a 
lovely  country  and  climate.  As  we  drift  along,  we  hear 
many'  a heavy  body  splash  into  the  water,  generally  a capy- 
vara,  and  on  one  occasion  sight  a tapir,  that  disappears 
before  we  can  get  within  range. 

At  mid-day,  the  mouth  of  the  Riberao  de  Espingada  is 
passed,  a stream  that  flows  from  the  highlands  of  the  boun- 
daries of  Maranhuo  and  Goyaz,  about  forty  miles  to  the 
north-east.  It  is  some  100  feet  broad,  is  navigable  for  about 
twenty  miles,  and  traverses  a totally  uninhabited  country. 

Beyond  this  stream,  the  right  bank  forms  exceptionally 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


1 98 

lofty  cliffs,  crowned  with  all  the  luxuriance  of  dense 
tropical  vegetation,  and  few  yards  are  passed,  but  we  hear 
the  music  of  dropping  water  trickling  down  the  rocky  sand- 
stone cliffs,  amid  such  varieties  and  forms  of  vegetation, 
delicate  ferns  and  flowers  below,  giant  trees  above,  wreathed  in 
festoons  of  vines,  a veritable  paradise  of  beauty,  all  mirrored 
in  the  clear  waters  below.  The  south  bank  is  much  lower, 
and  capped  only  by  the  dwarfed  vegetation  of  the  adjoining 
campos ; here  we  sighted  the  second  tapir  seen  that  day,  and 
I got  a shot,  but  the  bixo  treated  the  small  grains  of  lead 
with  the  .supremest  contempt,  and  leisurely  soused  into  the 
water  ; later  on  I bagged  a fine  motum^  or  currasoiv,  i)orchcd 
on  some  branches  overhanging  the  water.  There  was  a flock 
of  some  seven  or  eight  on  the  boughs,  but  this  one  fine  hand- 
some bird  was  a prize  in  itself,  for  it  is  as  large  and  heavy  as  a 
small  turkey,  and  its  flesh  is  quite  as  delicate  and  nutritious. 
The  bird  is  well-known,  and  its  description  is  needless,  be- 
yond mentioning  that  its  Indian  name,  inotum  'b'  is  an  exact 
imitation  of  the  hooting  sounds  it  makes.  These  birds  are 
easily  tamed,  and  readily  associate  with  poultry  in  Brazil,  but 
attempts  to  breed  them  in  England  have  hitherto  not  met 
with  success. 

During  the  course  of  the  day  we  .safely  passed  several 
paiicadas,  where  there  ensued  much  shouting,  and  rapid 
handling  of  poles  to  sheer  off,  here  and  there,  from  rock.s. 
These  little  .spurts  were  thorough  awakeners,  or  rather  “eye- 
openers,”  and  a rare  sight  in  this  land  of  lethargy,  to  see  the 
way  the  men’s  eyes  dilate  and  flash  with  the  excitement,  and 
hear  their  shouts  echo  above  the  roar  of  water  ; and  .see  how 
their  splendid  mu.scles  move  in  their  powerful  arms,  chests  and 
shoulders,  with  their  violent  exertion  ; for  the.se  cumbersome 
rafts  cannot  be  steered  like  a canoe,  we  drift  almost  where 
the  current  wills,  and  when  it  bjars  us  on  towards  a rock 

' Crax  alector. 

‘ Pronounce  with  a shai])  accent  on  the  t — Moo-fonig. 


A Wild  Cat. 


199 


ahead,  the  only  remedy,  especially  if  the  current  is  stron" 
and  the  water  deep,  is  to  lower  the  poles  at  a charge,  and 
immediately  the  rock  comes  within  reach,  to  heave  away,  to 
right  or  left,  with  might  and  main  ; the  shock  is  great,  and  a 
tremendous  effort,  and  cool  skill  and  nerve,  is  required  to 
act  in  one  direction  simultaneously,  the  stout  poles  arch  up 
into  bows  with  the  struggle,  as  the  heavy  ponderous  craft 
stopped  in  its  course,  finally  sways  away  in  the  right  direction, 
rolling  and  pitching  amidst  the  dancing  waves  and  rush  of 
waters.  I quaked  to  think  what  the  A/>ertada  Horn  would  be. 

In  the  afternoon  a squall  of  wind  and  rain  drove  us  to  seek 
shelter  on  shore,  for  on  these  occasions  the  men  cannot  see 
the  signs  of  submerged  rocks,  and  it  is  necessary  to  wait 
until  the  squall  has  passed.  An  hour  afterwards  the  storm 
subsided  and  we  drifted  onwards  again.  Feroz,  who  was  as 
fond  of  a swim  as  a Newfoundland  dog,  often  amused  himself 
with  a plunge  into  the  water,  and  a swim  ashore  whenever 
he  heard  any  doubtful  sounds  in  the  woods,  and  where  the 
banks  were  sufficiently  low  to  permit  him  to  scramble  up. 
Sometimes  he  disappeared  in  this  way  for  two  or  three  hours 
at  a time,  when  finally  his  black  muzzle  appears  in  sight  up 
stream  a long  way  behind,  rapidly  overhauling  us. 

At  6 p.m.  we  anchored  by  the  edge  of  a small  sandbank 
for  the  night : the  two  balseiros  having  occasion  to  go  into 
the  woods  to  cut  spare  poles  for  poling,  I followed  with 
my  gun.  Out  in  the  geraes  we  came  upon  a clump  of 
pindahibas,  where  the  men  pointed  out  to  me  a small  ocelot^ 
or  tiger-cat,  up  a tree.  A shot  brought  her  down  ; what  a 
picture  her  death-throes  presented  of  wild  furious  feline  rage, 
how  she  gnashed  her  teeth,  .spitted  and  snarled  and  clawed  ! 
but  Feroz  watching  his  opportunity,  dashed  at  her,  a grip, 
some  bones  cracked  and  pussy  was  quiet ; but  the  dog 
carried  away  the  marks  of  her  claws. 

Just  as  darkness  came  on,  more  rain  fell,  much  to  the  in- 


Felis  Pardalis. 


200 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


convenience  of  cooking  operations,  but  Bob  stuck  manfully 
to  his  post  and  spread  his  poncho  on  some  sticks  over  the 
fire  to  keep  off  the  wet  ; although  he  of  course  got  thoroughly 
soaked,  he  succeeded  in  more  or  less  roasting  the  motiim. 
It  rained  all  night,  and  the  men  fared  but  badly  under  a 
rough  shelter  of  boughs,  as  there  was  not  space  sufficient  to 
raise  the  tent  amidst  the  thick  underwood  of  the  banks. 

Fortunately,  thus  far  we  had  found  no  torturing  insects  at 
night,  not  a mosquito  had  we  heard  or  seen,  but  occasionally 
some  sand-flies  attacked  us  in  the  day-time  when  we  passed 
cerrado  lands. 

The  next  morning  opened  bright  and  clear,  and  Jesuino 
was  seen  looking  at  the  water  in  a very  pensive  mood,  and  of 
course  scratching  his  head,  as  all  viatutos  do  when  thinking. 
I inquired  the  cause  of  his  cogitations. 

“ It  is  the  deuce,  the  river  is  neither  full  nor  low,  and  we 
have  to  pass  the  Apertada  Hora  to  day,”  he  replies. 

“ Cannot  we  make  a portage  by  land,  or  at  least  go  by  the 
shore,  and  have  a look  at  things  ? ” 

“ Quail  The  banks  are  there  walls  of  rock,  and  wide  dense 
forests  cover  the  adjoining  country.” 

“ Well,  shall  we  chance  it  1 ” 

“ If  the  Senor  Doutor  likes  to  do  so,  we  are  ready.” 

“ Ejituo,  vamos  embora  (Then  let  us  away).” 

As  we  progressed  down  the  stream,  it  became  evident  that 
we  were  approaching  a more  rugged  and  stony  country. 
Right  ahead  we  could  perceive,  some  miles  away,  a blue 
outline  of  hills  intersecting  the  direction  of  the  river,  and 
the  surface  of  the  land  became  much  more  irregular,  more 
and  more  forested,  and  considerable  boulders  of  some  dark- 
coloured  rocks  littered  the  shores,  in  place  of  the  silvery  .sand- 
banks up-stream.  Pancadas  became  frequent,  and  almost  at 
every  bend  we  had  .some  e.xcitement,  especially  at  one  place, 
the  Pancada  da  Kspingada,  where  the  wavelets  formed  curling 
crested  breakers  three  feet  high,  and  swept  the  decks  fore 
and  aft,  giving  us  all  a thorough  ducking,  and  made  the  r.ift 
dance  and  whirl  as  though  it  was  a cork  on  the  water  ; but  the 


Shooting  tiik  Rapids  of  “ C)  Funil.”  201 

channel  was  deep  and  fairly  free  from  rocks,  and  we  dashed 
by  the  shore  at  a furious  rate,  and  beyond  the  wetting,  no 
damage  was  done.  The  pancaJas  appeared  so  rapidly  one 
after  the  other,  that  t d<ing  notes  and  bearings,  and  sketching 
the  river  course  were  carried  out  under  great  difficulties. 

The  next  lively  moments  were  passed  at  the  passage  of 
O hunil,  (the  funnel,)  where  the  river  passes  through  two  huge 
masses  of  hard,  black  rocks,  about  fifty  feet  apart.  I heir 
surfaces  are  worn  smooth  and  regular  by  the  action  of  the 
water,  that  probably  once  occupied  a much  higher  level,  for 
the  upper  parts  of  these  rocks,  carved  into  regular  horizontal 
ridges,  arc  now  overgrown  with  thick  vines  and  shrubs. 

It  was  enough  to  startle  a timid  person  to  see,  as  wc 
approached  these  huge  gates,  the  water  literally  squirting 
tn rough  the  narrow  passage,  and  as  soon  as  we  entered  the 
vortex,  it  seemed  as  though  I was  being  bodily  hurled 
along,  and  the  raft  appeared  to  be  running  away, — a 
moment  only,  and  it  is  over  ; but  not  quite,  for  we  are  sent 
into  a seething  mass  of  whirlpools  at  the  exit  of  the  pass, 
where  we  spin  round  and  round,  and  where  only  the  grand 
nerve  and  strength  displayed  by  the  crew,  saved  us  from  cap- 
sizing in  the  cauldrons  of  water. 

After  this  spurt  of  excitement  we  get  a breather,  but  we 
are  imprisoned  in  a deep  gorge  between  cliffs  high  and  un- 
scaleable,  whence  we  cannot  return  if  we  would,  and  a little 
further  on  the  current  will  seize  us,  and  carry  us  away  to  the 
Apertada.  Well,  we  are  in  for  it,  and  must  take  our  chance. 
The  dreaded  rapids  are  four  to  five  miles  beyond  the  Funil. 
All  the  way  through  a deep  ravine,  worn  out  of  the  soil  by 
the  action  of  the  water,  w'e  drift  on  at  about  three  miles  an 
hour,  a speed  that  perceptibly  increases  as  we  progress. 

The  scenery  is  extremely  wild  and  weird,  in  many  places 
the  cliffs  are  more  than  100  feet  high,  and  above  their  edges, 
like  a delicate  tracery  against  the  blue  ether,  is  a fringe  of  the 
feathery  foliage  of  the  tall  and  slender  bacaba^  and  the  tiicumP 


' CEnocarpus  Bacaba. 


* Bacris  seiosa. 


202 


Ox  THE  Rio  do  Somxo. 


palms,®  (both  equally  new  to  me,)  feathery  bamboos,  and  the 
infinite  variety  of  tropical  vegetation.  From  the  verge  of 
the  cliffs  the  land  rises  into  considerable  hills. 

Meanwhile  our  speed  increases  to  quite  six  mdes  an  hour. 
The  crew  stand  in  the  bows  like  statues  of  mahogany,  with 
poles  at  the  charge,  ready  for  the  enemy,  and  occasionally 
make  long  sweeps  in  the  water  to  keep  us  head  on,  and  as 
near  as  possible  in  the  main  current.  Bob  has  offered  his 
services,  but  they  are  declined  with  thanks,  as  the  men  have 
to  depend  upon  each  other  for  eimultaneous  action. 

A sharp  bend  of  the  river  now  appears  before  us,  to  which 
we  speed  on  with  ever  increased  velocity,  the  raft  pitches  like 
a ship  in  a head-sea  on  the  long  wave-like  rushing  waters,  a 
dull  roar  becomes  perceptible — the  speed  still  increases — the 
bend  is  reached  and  turned — the  cataracts  are  before  us.  At 
the  sight  of  the  state  of  the  rapids,  the  crew  shout  despair- 
ingly,  “ Cr?f7  / Ave  Maria  I Virgein  Nossa  Senhora  I Esta- 
mos  pcrdUosl"  (We  are  lost).  Certainly  the  prospect  was 
not  a place  to  select  for  a day’s  boating.  Down  a perceptible 
incline,  the  river,  more  or  less  250  feet  broad,  hurls  its  foaming 
seething  waters,  a mass  of  whirlpools,  sheets  of  foam,  and 
dashes  of  spray,  amidst  innumerable  black  rocks  that  dot 
the  surface  in  all  directions.  At  the  furthest  e.xlremity 
a wall  of  rock  crossc.s  the  stream,  and  shuts  from  \iew 
any  vis  bic  outlet  from  the  gorge.  To  me  no  channel 
is  perceptible,  it  seems  all  one  wide  e.xpanse  of  tearing 
boiling  waters,  foam  and  rocks,  and  that  we  are  rushing  on 
to  inevitable  destruction,  for  the  strongest  swimmer  in  that 
race  of  water  would  be  helpless  and  must  be  dashed  to  pieces. 
But  my  plucky  fellows  despair  not,  and  manfully  pull  them- 
selves together  for  the  approaching  struggle 

I remember  seeing  them  with  dilated  eyes,  clenched  teeth, 
and  crouching  bodies,  gripping  their  poles  with  a vice  like 

® This  latter  palm  is  largely  utilized  by  the  .<\mazonian  Indians.  From 
its  materials  they  weave  their  fine  grass  cloth  hammock,  cords,  mats, 
fringes  to  hammocks,  shoes,  baskets,  &c. 


I 


In  Tin-  R.u'ids  of  tiif  Ai'F.utada  Hoka.  203 

grip,  thrusting  swiftly  at,  to  me,  I knew  not  what  ; the  raft 
lurches  and  plunges  and  whirls  around,  at  times  totally 
submerged,  at  others  rising  out  of  the  waves  only  to  plunge 
again  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  to  all'  directions,  it  is  with 
ilifficulty  I hold  on  to  the  roof  of  the  state-room,  but  the 
men  have  magnificent  sea-legs,  for  no  matteV  how  the  raft 
may  roll  or  what  seas  may  dash  over  them,  the  men’s  bodies 
appear  to  work  on  swivels  from  their  waists  upwards — a 
sudden  stoppage,  followed  by  a grinding  crash — the  raft  heels 
over,  and  great  masses  of  seething  waters  sweep  it  from  end 


In  the  rapids  of  the  Apertada  Horn. 


to  end — everything  that  is  light  is  carried  away,  trunks  and 
cooking  utensils,  adcos ! many  a treasured  curiosity — the 
raft  appears  to  be  breaking  up,  for  great  fragments  of  the 
bnrity  stems  are  torn  away  as  it  chafes  upon  the  rocks,  and 
the  roof  of  the  saloon  oscillates  and  threatens  to  pitch  for- 
ward, Bob  is  up  to  his  waist  in  rushing  waters,  but  grips 
the  sloping  sides  of  the  roof.  Still  the  crew  are  cool  in  nerve, 
and  shoulder  to  shoulder  wield  their  poles  and  thrust  with 
Herculean  strength  at  a rock  near  by,  in  an  effort  to  get  free 
from  the  rock  that  is  grinding  the  raft  to  pieces,  the  stout  poles 


204 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


are  bowed  with  the  severe  struggle,  and  I pray  that  they 
will  bear  the  strain.  All  around  is  a hurly-burly  of  rushing 
seething  waters,  that  break  over  us  in  great  clouds  of  spray. 
Suddenly  the  raft  swings  round,  is  heaved  up — we  move  — 
we  are  off,  and  again  careering  v^ildly  onwards — now  we 
appear  hurrying  on  only  to  be  dashed  against  the  cliff 
that  seems  to  cut  off  all  outlet  at  the  end  of  the  rapids. 
Again  the  raft  strikes  hard  upon  the  rocks,  but  is  in- 
stantly whirled  round — we  are  free  again — on  once  more 
plunging,  leaping,  and  whirling  swiftly  onward.s,  rocking 
.from  side  to  side;  as  we  near  the  cliffs,  away  to  the  right, 
a cleft  appears — the  crew  struggle  like  madmen  to  gain 
it — and  succeed,  and  in  a moment  w^e  shoot  into  a narrow 
channel  where,  to  my  great  astonishment,  peace  and  quietne.ss 
reign,  and  w^e  glide  along  an  almost  currentless  channel,  le.ss 
than  twenty  feet  wide,  between  lofty  walls  of  black  rocks, 
covered  with  mosses,  and  ferns,  and  moisture.  Where  are 
those  rushing  waters  ? Where  have  they  disappeared  to  ? 
for  wc  came  out  by  the  only  apparent  e.xit  ? There  is  only 
one  solution,  they  have  gone  by  some  subterranean  outlet 
under  these  rocks  to  our  left,  for  hastily  dropping  a line  wdth 
a weight  attached,  it  quickly  sinks  some  twenty  feet,  where  a 
powerful  undercurrent  carries  it  forwards,  a fact  that  .suffi- 
ciently demonstrated  the  probability  of  my  supposition.* 

’ Such  disappearances  of  large  bodies  of  water  by  subterranean  outlets 
like  the  Aperiada  Hora  are  by  no  means  uncommon  in  brazil,  where 
they  are  known  as  sumidouros  (sinks),  and  Gardner  described  a very 
interesting  example  in  the  Rio  -Sao  bernardo,  a tributary  of  the  Rio 
I’aranan,  near  the  western  slopes  of  the  Sao  Francisco-Tocaniins  water- 
shed. In  page  382  of  his  “ travels  in  brazil,”  after  mentioning  that 
several  streams  that  rise  in  the  .Sena  Geral,  lose  themselves  under  a 
p.irallel  range  of  limestone,  and  emerge  twelve  miles  away,  united  in  one 
body  of  water,  known  as  the  Rio  Siio  bernardo,  he  describes  the  scene  of 
the  disappearance  of  one  of  the  streams. 

“ I (ound  that  it  did  not  enter  by  an  open  cave,  but  by  an  aperture  far 
below  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  current  here  runs  with  consiilerablc 
velocity,  strikes  ag.dnst  the  ne.irly  |)erpendicular  face  of  limestone  rock, 
and  forming  a few  whiiii)ools,  is  lost  in  the  gull  below.” 


Loss  AM)  Damack. 


205 


This  narrow  channel  extends  about  100  yards,  and  then 
terminates  in  the  ordinary  broad  expanse  of  placid  water 
of  the  river. 

Now,  in  the  quiet  and  shade  of  this  peaceful  haven, 
with  dripping  brows,  and  breasts  heaving  with  the  past 
excitement,  we  can  fully  realize  the  risk  we  have  perhaps 
so  foolishly  incurred,  but  withal  so  happily  terminated. 
The  men  take  off  their  hats,  and  fervently  express  a grateful 
Gro(,‘as  d Dcos,  (Thanks  to  God),  for  a miraculous  escape, 
and  when  I recalled  the  whole  scene  to  my  mind’s  eye, 
it  was  indeed  wonderful  how  we  had  got  through  with  our 
lives.  Probably  not  a minute  was  consumed  in  the  descent, 
but  every  second  was  fraught  with  danger.  Had  the  men  not 
been  so  well  acquainted  with  the  channels,  the  position  of  the 
rocks,  Sowell  practised  in  the  manipulation  of  their  poles,  and 
gifted  with  such  strength  and  cool  nerve,  we  must  have 
smashed  up  altogether  on  the  rocks,  and  once  in  the  water, 
videos  ! Cite  outra  vista. 

The  raft  was  not  only  much  shattered,  and  the  saloon  all 
caved  in,  but  many  things  had  been  lost,  sacks  of  provisions, 
a trunk  with  clothes,  many  collections  of  curiosities,  samples 
of  minerals,  many  drawings,  and,  by  no  means  the  least,  our 
invaluable  frying-pan,  all  " fotsembored.” 

We  had  to  travel  a good  mile  before  we  found  a place  to 
land  and  repair.  I wanted  the  crew  to  climb  the  cliffs,  and 
return  to  the  rapids,  to  look  out  for  the  lost  articles,  but  they 
point-blank  refused,  on  the  plea  that  the  intervening  ground 
was  so  high  rugged  and  so  covered  with  dense  forest,  that  it 
would  require  a long  time  to  reach  the  scene,  where  every- 
thing that  is  thrown  into  the  waters  disappears  immediately, 
as  they  had  already  found  out  by  former  experience.  The 
only  chance  of  finding  any  flotsam  was  to  remain  where  we 
were  and  watch  if  anything  floated  by,  but  although  a bright 
look-out  was  kept  until  sunset,  nothing  appeared. 

We  had  escaped  sound  in  body  and  limb,  and  it  would  be 
ungrateful  to  bewail  a little  loss  of  articles,  no  matter  how 


2o6 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


valuable  they  might  be.  I did,  however,  feel  a little  sorrowful 
at  the  loss  of  so  many  sketches  ; fortunately  my  treasured 
drawings  were  not  all  in  the  lost  trunk. 

As  far  as  I was  able,  I closely  examined  the  composition  of 
the  walls  of  the  narrow  channel,  but  could  not  classify  the 
material  other  than  a rock  of  a very  close  and  fine  grain, 
extremely  hard,  a dark,  neutral  tint  in  colour,  and  altogether 
very  similar  to  the  rocks  of  Pirapora,  that  a well-known 
author  described  as,  “ Grauivacker  sanstein  gres  traiimatico." 

The  melancholy  dilapidated  remains  of  the  raft,  as  it  lay 
alongside  a bank,  gave  it  an  appearance  of  having  been  in  a 
collision,  or  in  a free  fight ; the  bundles  of  leaf-stems  had 
opened  out,  the  stems  stuck  up  in  all  directions,  the  saloon 
was  “ nohow,”  a very  little  more  and  it  would  all  have  been 
scattered,  when  we  must  certainly  have  perished.  The  bag- 
gage was  all  brought  ashore,  and  the  work  of  reconstruction 
absorbed  the  rest  of  the  day. 

The  locality  was  a wild  still  solitude,  surrounded  by  dcmsely 
forested  hills,  for  apparently  a ridge  here  traverses  the  country, 
of  a formation  very  different  to  what  is  generally  found 
between  the  Suo  Francisco  and  Tocantins,  excepting  perhaps 
the  materials  of  the  serra  that  crosses  the  Rio  Grande  at 
Boqueirao.  The  river  Somno  at  this  point  is  about  400  feet 
wide,  enclosed  between  cliff-like  banks,  a deep  placidly-flowing 
stream,  seeming  as  it  were,  in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun  a 
sheet  of  gold,  bordered  by  the  inverted  reflections  of  cliffs  and 
forests  as  in  a mirror  ; not  the  slightest  puff  of  wind  marred  the 
gla.s.sy  look  of  its  waters,  or  disturbed  the  silent  leaves  of  its 
bordering  forest ; amidst  the  great  stillness  that  prevailed,  the 
splash  of  a fi.sh,  or  the  occasional  cry  of  a bird,  and  the  voices 
(T  the  men  sounded  strange  and  hollow,  and  startled  one  with 
their  strange  distinctne.ss. 

Another  wet  night  made  our  (juarters  again  not  desirable 
apartments,  but  the  fatigues  and  excitement  of  the  da\- 
blcs.scd  us  with  such  a power  of  slumber  that  pelting  rain  and 
gusts  of  wind  were  unconsidcred  trifles;  although  we  could 


Skins  of  Diamonds, 


207 


not  put  up  the  tent,  its  folds  of  canvas  spread  on  boughs  gave 
a little  shelter,  and  prevented  the  men  from  getting  quite  wet 
through. 

A heavy  mist  on  the  river  prevailed  in  the  early  morning, 
that  made  our  chilled  limbs  feel  all  the  chillier,  and  despite 
the  men’s  previous  assurances  of  there  being  no  more  rocks 
ahead,  they  would  not  start  until  the  mist  had  cleared  away, 
but  7 a.m.  saw  us  again  on  our  voyage. 

The  shores  here  show  signs  of  cascalho  and  diamond 
formation.  Probably  diamonds  do. exist,  for  this  river  has 
only  been  navigated  by  my  crew  and  one  or  two  others,  who 
like  them,  are  utterly  ignorant  of  the  nature  and  characteristics 
of  gold  or  diamond  indications.  I wanted  much  to  closely 
e.xamine  the  gravel,  but  time  was  precious  ; I had  to  hurry  on, 
on  the  possible  chance  of  catching  the  last  trading  bote  de- 
scend ng  the  Tocantins  to  Para,  it  was  already  late  in  the 
season,  but  there  was  yet  a possible  chance.  We  saw  during 
the  morning  a lontra,  (otter),  capyvaras,  an  all'gator,  tapir  No.  3, 
and  in  the  trees  of  the  banks,  numerous  monkeys  about  a 
foot  high,  with  light  brown  bodies  and  limbs  and  black  faces, 
and  in  these  forests  are  also  numerous  herds  of  peccaries.  I 
found  we  had  not  left  all  the  rocks  behind,  for  we  passed 
during  the  day  several  pancadas  caused  by  submerged  rocks, 
all  of  which  we  passed  safe'.y. 

As  we  progress  down  stream  the  banks  become  much 
lower,  and  the  forest  often  extends  to  the  water’s  edge  on 
gently  sloping  ground. 

In  the  afternoon,  Feroz  pricked  up  his  stumps  of  ears  and 
barked,  and  we  soon  after  heard  the  grunt  of  peccaries  in  the 
woods  ; such  an  opportunity  for  a “ square  meal  ” could  not 
be  resisted,  and  all  hands  work  together  to  pole  the  raft  to  the 
shore,  but  we  drift  down  a half-mile  before  we  gain  a hold  upon 
the  trees  and  chain  up.  It  reminded  me  of  the  men  on  the 
Thames  barges,  going  down  the  river  with  the  tide,  and  trying 
to  sweep  their  cumbersome  craft  nearer  the  shore.  Feroz  had 
just  had  his  rations  served  out,  but  as  we  spring  ashore  I tell 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


2o3 

him  to  lie  down  and  keep  watch  ; much  as  he  would  like  to 
join  us,  he  will  remain  there  unfastened  till  we  return.  These 
forests  are  certainly  charming  to  behold  in  their  immensely 
varied  and  luxuriant  vegetation,  but  to  scramble  through  them 
is  a work  of  difficulty  ; they  form  such  a maze  of  brambles  and 
vines,  of  tall  straight  tree-trunks,  giant  buttressed  trees  and 
slender  saplings,  trailing  creepers  and  great  roots,  and  thorns 
and  spines  that  scratch  one  and  sting  like  a wasp. 

It  requires  a good  half-hour’s  work  before  we  arrive,  hot  and 
perspiring,  scratched  and  sticky  with  broken  dead  leaves,  at  the 
first  signs  of  the  peccaries,  in  the  disturbed  soil  where  they 
had  turned  over  the  ground  in  pursuit  of  roots,  and  soon  after 
their  presence  is  detected  by  their  catinga  (odour)  ; now  a 
cautious  advance  is  made  from  tree  to  tree,  crawling  under 
bushes,  stopping,  listening,  ever  disentangling  the  feet  catch- 
ing vines,  and  forcing  aside  the  branches.  I have  just  left 
the  friendly  asylum  of  a very  handy  little  tree,  and  udien 
proceeding  in  search  of  another,  suddenly,  crack-crack-crack, 
like  file-firing,  sounds  with  startling  distinctness  in  the  silence 
of  the  woods.  Ye  Gods  ! w'here  is  my  tree,  it’s  all  thick  bush 
and  vines,  anything  for  a tree,  would  that  I were  “ up  a tree  ” 
indeed.  I plunge  through  vines  and  thorns,  regardless  of  torn 
clothes  and  scratches,  and  reach  a slender  palmitto  palm  ; I 
never  climbed  so  quickly  before — it  was  like  being  assisted 
up  by  a pitchfork  ; the  men  comfortably  ensconced  in  a 
forked  tree  hard  by,  laughed  heartily  at  my  precipitation  and 
ridiculous  position — but  I have  no  .desire  to  meet  these  valiant 
animals  amidst  such  tangled  undenvood.  They  seem,  how- 
ever, to  content  themselvms  with  their  defiance,  for  they  do  not 
appear  in  sight,  and  are  again  silent.  I gingerly  de.sccnd  from 
my  scaffold-pole  and  climb  a more  comfortable  perch.  Hob 
now  imitates  the  barking  of  a dog,  when  the  peccaries  imme- 
diately reply  by  volleys  of  snapping  and  cracking  of  teeth  ; 
the  thick  jungle  scorns  to  swarm  with  them,  but  still  they  will 
not  show  thcm.selve.s,  and  soon,  by  the  sounds  of  their  move- 
ments amongst  the  bushes,  they  are  evidently  reti eating. 


PECCAKitis  Again. 


209 


Jacinto  and  Bob  then  descend,  and  disappear  cautiously  and 
noiselessly  into  the  underwood — some  time  passes — we  wait 
listening — no  sounds  are  heard  but  the  ripple  of  the  waters 
hard  by,  the  murmur  of  the  breeze  amidst  the  rustling  leaves  of 
the  tree-tops,  and  the  buzz  of  passing  insects,  that  makes  the 
otherwise  stillness  all  the  more  profound.  Suddenly,  two 
reports  are  heard  in  quick  succession,  some  distance  away, 
followed  by  squeals  grunts  and  snapping  of  teeth  ; the  sounds 
approach  nearer  and  nearer,  the  bushes  rustle — and  a number 
of  brown  peccaries  rush  by;  we  fire,  one  animal  falls,  the  rest 
disappear.  Now  we  recognize  them  to  be,  not  the  warrior 
boars  of  the  Sapao,  but  only  the  common  and  comparatively 
harmless  CaetaUi,  or  ordinary  brown  peccary.  Jacinto  and 
Bob  return,  each  one  carrying  a pig,  that  with  ours,  or  rather 
Jesuino's,  made  three  killed. 

The  forest  is  barely  more  than  lOO  yards  wide,  for  beyond 
that  width,  the  land  extends  in  long  slopes  covered  with  tall 
capim  agreste  erna,  indicating  at  once  an  uninhabited  locality. 
When  we  regained  the  raft,  poor  Feroz  was  found  half  drowned 
in  a flood  of  saliva.  His  dinner  was  close  to  his  nose,  but  as 
he  had  received  orders  to  lie  down  and  watch,  he  evidently 
thought  they  included  his  food  also.  He  looked  at  me  wist- 
fully, but  still  waited  patiently  for  a welcome  order  to  come~ 
(eat)  ; few  dogs  would  have  carried  out  instructions  so  literally 
under  such  temptations. 

About  mid-day  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  das  Balsas, 
a considerable  stream,  about  160  feet  wide.  It  is  reported  to 
be  navigable,  but  traverses  an  uninhabited  country,  except 
near  its  source,  where  there  is  said  to  be  a tribe  of  indios  bmbos, 
that  may  or  may  not  be.  Below  this  stream,  the  Somno  widens 
out  to  about  500  feet  in  width. 

Amidst  the  woods  that  day  appeared  for  the  first  time  the 
wild  banana,  Bananeira  do  Matto^  and  a palm  new  to  my 

* Pronounce  komey. 

^ It  is  a much  disputed  question  amongst  botanists  whether  the  banana 
was  ever  indigenous  to  Brazil.  Humboldt,  in  his  “ Essai  Politique^ 

VOL.  II.  P 


210 


On  the  Ria'Do  Somno. 

\ 

experiences,  the  Inaja ; * many  of  the  trees  were  also  densely 
covered  with  the  vines  of  a large  mauve-coloured  convolvulus, 
amidst  whose  festoons  great  numbers  of  monkeys  gamboled. 
The  grunts  of  peccaries  were  frequently  heard,  but  no  more 
time  could  be  spared  for  another  hunt.  On  one  occasion  we 
heard  in  the  depths  of  the  forests,  sounds  like  a number  of 
knocks  given  in  unison  ; I was  told  that  the  noise  was  produced 
by  monkeys  breaking  nuts  by  pounding  them  with  stones. 

No  more  pancadas  are  now  met  with,  and  the  river  flows 
onwards  like  a well-behaved  stream. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  a heavy  squall  of  wind  and  rain 
burst  upon  us,  and  drove  us  to  seek  shelter  at  the  mouth  of 
a small  stream  ; as  we  rounded  the  bushes  that  partly  hid  its 
entrance,  we  disturbed  quite  a family  of  capyvaras  luxuriating 
in  the  shallow  water,  they  one  and  all  dived  at  sight  of  us, 
and  we  saw  them  no  more. 

This  life  on  the  Somno  is  decidedly  pleasant,  it  is  quite  like 
a long  picnic,  rough  certainly,  and  unpleasant  as  all  picnics 
are  when  it  rains,  and  exciting  enough  on  the  Apertada  Hora, 
a place  that  I should  not  care  to  pass  again  on  a balsa.  The 
climate  is  pleasant  and  very  healthy,  and  the  scenery  beautiful 
and  varied  beyond  description,  and  there  are  no  mosquitos. 

In  the  morning  Jesuino  put  his  head  into  the  saloon  and 
called  my  attention  to  Rob.  I could  not  help  laughing  at 
the  sight ; he  had  gone  to  sleep  on  the  sloping  wet  sand-bank 
by  the  side  of  his  fire,  but  his  long  legs  had  rolled  him  down 
hill,  and  there  he  lay  with  them  immersed  in  the  warm  river 
up  to  his  knees,  and  still  he  slept  on  ; he  had  made  a bait  of 
himself  for  alligators  and  piranhas.,  fortunately  for  him  neither 
appeared,  and  not  even  a sneeze  resulted  from  his  damp  bed. 

A long  quiet  hot  day  passed  in  slowly  drifting  along  the 
now  oily-looking  surface  of  the  stream,  verily  the  hottest  day 

vol.  iii.  p.  22,  states  that  the  plant  is  a native  of  Brazil.  Possibly  he  may 
have  had  in  view  the  bananeira  do  Malta,  that  is  in  relation  to  the  cul- 
tivated banana  what  a crab  apple  tree  is  to  its  developed  brethren. 

■*  Cocas phunosa,  Mart.  Ma.vimiliana  regia. 


A Wretched  Home. 


2 I 1 


I had  experienced  for  a long  time,  for  not  a breath  of  wind 
tempered  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun.  In  the  shade  of  the 
saloon  the  temperature  appeared  even  hotter  than  outside, 
the  thermometer  registered  96°,  the  heat  was  really  sweltering, 
and  we  drifted,  oh  ! so  slowly.  Amidst  the  woods  the  ther- 
mometer indicated  86°.  We  all,  men  and  dog,  had  many  a 
swim  alongside  as  the  craft  drifted  onwards,  and  thereby 
managed  to  keep  a little  cool. 

One  or  two  habitations  now  began  to  appear.  I stopped  at 
one,  a poor  little  fazenda,  such  a scene  of  wretchedne.ss. 

The  owner,  a ragged  brown  unkempt  fellow,  about  forty 
years  of  age,  told  me  he  had  lived  there  some  six  years, 
having  immigrated  from  up  the  Tocantins  with  several  head 
of  cattle,  but  was  thoroughly  disheartened  with  the  results  of 
his  enterprise  ; his  farm  was  a long  way  from  a market  for  cattle, 
and  at  Pedro  Affonso  he  could  only  sell  hides,  as  he  could  not 
afford  to  buy  salt  to  make  dried  beef,  and  moreover  the  jaguars 
played  such  havoc  with  his  herds  that  their  increase  was  very 
small.  I bought  some  fine  jaguar  skins  at  one  milreis  each. 
I le  remarked  that  the  day  was  exceptionally  hot,  for  generally 
he  could  not  complain  of  the  district  on  the  score  of  climate, 
salubrity,  or  soil.  This  man  was  so  hopele.ssly  lazy  or  de- 
spondent, that  he  had  let  everything  “slide,”  and  eked  out  a 
miserable  existence  on  the  barest  necessities.  His  ro9a  was  a 
perfect  wilderness  of  mingled  jungle  and  vegetables.  His 
house  of  sticks  and  grass,  once  well  built,  was  almost  unin- 
habitable ; ants  had  destroyed  the  principal  parts  of  the 
framework,  and  the  hut  seemed  ready  to  topple  forward  at  any 
moment ; the  grass  roof  was  full  of  holes  and  hung  in  ragged 
bundles  of  decayed  matter,  only  kept  together  by  the  roots 
of  plants  that  vegetated  luxuriantly  in  its  rottenness. 

The  walls  had  partly  disappeared,  the  rest  were  supported 
by  props.  In  the  interior  were  a few  broken-down  benches,  a 
few  hides,  several  old  ragged  dirty  hammocks,  and  dust,  dirt 
and  disorder  reigned  supreme.  The  women  were  only  half  clad 
in  extremely  dirty  ragged  cotton  skirts  and  parts  of  chemises, 

P 2 


2 I 2 


On  the  Rio  do  Somno. 


their  hair  was  ragged  and  uncombed,  and  their  skins  grimed 
with  dirt  ; several  children  of  various  ages  and  colours  waddled 
about  perfectly  naked,  their  faces  sallow  and  pallid,  their 
arms  and  legs  miserably  thin,  pot-bellied,  yet  showing  their 
ribs  like  skeletons.  Bah  ! such  squalor  makes  one  feel  bad, 
and  I hurried  away  sick  at  heart,  accustomed  as  I was  to 
scenes  of  Brazilian  poverty.  I expostulated  with  the  pro- 
prietor on  his  way  of  life,  and  tried  to  encourage  him  to  do 
better  things,  to  pull  himself  together  and  be  a man,  but  I 
might  just  as  well  have  tried  to  induce  that  personification  of 
laziness,  the  preguiea  or  Brazilian  sloth,  to  run  a race.  The 
only  reply  I received  was  a drawling,  “ NCio  posso,  ndo  estou 
accostumado,  ndo  e nosso  coshimep  &c.  (I  can’t,  I am  not 
accustomed  to  it,  it  is  not  our  way,  &c.).  Nothing  could  I 
buy  except  the  skins,  there  were  no  fowls,  pigs,  goats,  not  even 
farinha  the  national  bread,  only  water-melons,  pumpkins, 
yams,  and  sweet  mandioca,  and  none  of  these  would  they 
part  with. 

Yet  considering  that  these  people  are  thoroughly  habituated 
to  the  solitudes  of  a wild  country,  if  they  would  only  exert 
themselves  to  do  a reasonable  amount  of  daily  labour  they 
might  live  in,  what  could  easily  be  made  to  appear  to  them, 
a veritable  paradise.  It  is  a painful  sight  to  witness  the 
depths  of  degradation  that  apparently  civilized  beings  will 
sometimes  descend  to.  In  this  case,  there  was  not  even  the 
excuse  of  the  vice  of  drink  to  explain  such  woeful  want. 
Nothing  but  irreclaimable  constitutional  indolence. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Rio 
Perdido,'  about  150  feet  broad.  Its  margins  are  uninhabited, 
its  waters  are  reported  to  be  navigable,  and  the  country  it 
traverses  is  said  to  be  rich  in  woods  and  grass-lands. 

The  woods  hereabouts  are  full  of  noi.sy  animal  life,  espe- 
cially birds  that  welcomed  with  whistles,  screeches,  .screams 
and  chatterings,  the  advent  of  a fresh  breeze  in  the  afternoon  : 
there  were  flocks  of  noisy  passes  pretos,  very  much  resembling 
both  in  song  form  and  colour  our  own  blackbirds,  Iiarshly 
* The  lost  river. 


Thk  Lowfr  Somn’o. 


213 


screechiii"  calindJs  (large  purple  macaws),  flocks  of  parroquets 
and  love-birds,  graceful  white  herons  ; were  heard  also  the 
loud  cries  of  serenhemas,  the  sharp  sudden  cries  of  the  ara- 
ponga  or  anvil-bird,  like  the  striking  of  a bar  of  iron,  the 
grunting  of  peccaries,  and  the  splashing  plunges  of  the 
capyvaras.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that  all  these  emanate 
from  any  one  given  locality  like  a menagerie  or  a zoological 
garden,  that  is  a mistake  that  is  often  created  in  describing 
tropical  scenes,  for  the  traveller  cannot  well  mention  the 
different  birds,  animals,  or  strange  cries,  as  he  meets  or  hears 
them  at  different  times  during  his  day’s  journey. 

We  landed  to  pass  the  night  for  the  last  time  on  the  Somno, 
on  a broad  bank  of  sand  and  shingle,  a little  below  a Riberao 
de  Lagedo  on  the  north  bank,  wherd  we  enjoyed  the  soft 
balmy  air  of  the  clear  starlight  night,  such  a luxury  after  the 
late  stormy  evenings. 

The  ne.xt  morning  saw  us  bound  Westward  Ho  for  the  last 
time  ; for  on  the  Tocantins  we  shall  turn  to  the  north,  and 
sideways  to  “ Orion’s  belt,”  which  constellation,  then  due 
west,  had  so  long  been  my  direction  by  night,  and  how  often 
I longed  to  turn  my  back  upon  it  and  go  in  the  opposite 
direction.  Now  in  after  years  I rarely  see  it,  without  recal- 
ing  the  old  memories  of  those  rough  wild  days  and  nights. 

The  latter  part  of  the  Somno’s  banks  are  very  low,  and 
much  of  the  adjoining  land  is  subject  to  inundations,  the 
shores  are  slimy  with  the  deposited  humus  of  the  river  that 
here  flows  so  very  slowly,  or  may  be  the  flooded  waters  of 
the  Tocantins  there  back  up  and  meeting  the  flow  of  the 
Somno  become  stagnant  and  deposit  the  matters  they  carry 
in  solution,  for  certainly  there  is  no  soft  soil  up  this  stream 
to  generate  this  mud  ; the  soil  is  too  gritty  and  sandy. 

Although  the  day’s  voyage  was  only  some  ten  miles,  it 
required  seven  hours  to  cover  the  distance  ; at  last  a final 
bend  of  the  river  that  had  taken  an  hour  to  reach,  opened 
out  to  some  600  feet  wide,  divided  in  the  middle  by  an 
island,  and  then  joined  the  broad  brown  waters  of  the 
Tocantins. 


214 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM  PEDRO  AFFONSO  TO  CAROLINA  DOWN  THE  RIO 
TOCANTINS. 

Arrival  at  Pedro  Afifonso — An  indifferent  host — Too  late  for  the  last 
“ bote  ” — The  botes  and  traders  of  the  Rio  Tocantins — An  old  Indian 
settlement — Indian  boys — The  Montana — The  new  crew — Frae 
Rafael  and  his  mission — The  Coroado  Indians — The  country'  around 
the  village — A tender  craft — My  tent  is  sacrificed — Adeos,  Pedro 
Affonso — Cramped  accommodation — Paddles  of  the  Tocantins  v. 
Sao  Francisco — The  shores  of  the  Tocantins — A murderous  rascal 
and  his  home — Persecution  of  the  Indians  and  unpunished  crimes 
of  the  interior  of  Brazil — Well-watered  lands — Bico  de  Toucano  and 
his  resources — On  the  river  Tocantins — A woeful  loss — Uselessness 
of  the  inhabitants — Arrival  at  Carolina — Advised  to  abandon  the 
voyage  to  Para — The  city  and  its  inhabitants — Disappointment  in 
obtaining  a troop  for  the  journey  overland — Scarcity  of  game — A 
hilly  neighbourhood — Gold  and  copper  districts — A church  festival 
— A negro  festival. 


On  the  30th  of  April,  after  the 
voyage  of  five  days,  we  landed 
at  the  south  side  of  the  river 
on  a slippery  muddy  bank, 
amidst  the  debris  of  defunct 
btirity  balsas,  to  which  our 
brave  craft  will  now  be  added 
to  rot,  or  drift  away  down  the 
river. 

It  was  quite  time  that  the 
voyage  ended,  for  the  pores 
of  the  leaf-stems  had  become 
thoroughly  impregnated  with 
moisture,  and  the  raft  became  more  and  more  water-logged 


An  Indifferent  Host.  215 

every  clay,  so  much  so  that  the  deck  was  just  awash  with 
the  water. 

The  banks,  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  ordinary  water, 
are  fringed  by  a narrow  belt  of  trees,  at  their  rear  extends  a 
flat  plain,  covered  with  grass,  scattered  bushes,  and  clumps 
of  trees. 

Some  500  yards  distant  is  the  village  of  Pedro  Affonso, 
consisting  of  the  ordinary  type  of  habitations,  adobe  wall 
and  tiled-roof  houses,  and  grass  huts,  scattered  irregularly 
without  any  apparent  arrangement,  amidst  groups  of  large 
and  small  trees  and  thick  bushes  ; the  narrow  paths  pass  by 
the  back  of  one  house  and  the  front  of  the  next. 

I went  to  the  house  of  a Senhor  L.,  to  whom  m kind 
friends  at  Porto  Franco  had  given  me  a letter  of  intro- 
duction. I was  directed  to  a half-closed  venda,  where  I 
found  a big  sleepy  apathetic  young  white  man,  dozing  on 
the  counter.  He  is  too  somnolent  to  express  any  surprise  at 
my  arrival,  for  he  merely  languidly  turns  his  head  as  though 
I had  been  an  every-day  visitor,  and  an  awful  bore.  He 
reads  my  letter,  and  with  many  an  “ Ai ! meo  Deos  ! " and 
with  groans,  and  much  tribulation,  succeeds  in  raising  him- 
.self  to  a sitting  posture,  and  then  drawls  out  the  usual 
pertinent  questions.  “ What  is  your  name  ? ” “ Where  do 

you  come  from  ? ” “ Where  are  you  going  to  ? ” “ What  is 

your  business.^”  "How  much  is  your  salary.^”  “How 
much  are  you  worth  } ” &c.  I suggested  that  if  he  was  to 
ask,  “ What  I would  like  for  breakfast  ? ” and,  “ When  I 
would  have  it } ” it  would  be  more  to  the  point,  for  we  had 
not  stopped  at  our  usual  breakfast-hour,  and  it  was  then  two 
o’clock. 

But,  alas  ! the  senhor  is  dull  jof  comprehension  and  weary, 
and  threatens  to  relapse  again  to  his  counter,  and  assume 
a masterly  inactivity.  So  with  a com  licensa,  I uncere- 
moniously rummage  his  venda,  and.  discover  some  farinha* 
eggs,  a tin  of  sardines,  some  cachaqa,  a;  cup,  water,  sugar, 
and  a spoon.  He  watches  me  curiously  beat  up  eggs,  and 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


216 

add  cachaga,  sugar,  and  water  ; never  before  had  he  seen  such 
a mixture. 

With  the  help  of  a more  active  neighbour,  an  empty  hut 
was  obtained,  and  the  baggage  duly  housed.  The  men  re- 
ceived their  stipulated  price  of  ten  milreis  each,  and  a couple 
more  as  a gratuity,  then  went  their  way  for  a few  days’ 
relaxation  in  the  village,  happy  and  contented  with  their 
trifling  wages.  If  they  had  been  paid  three  or  four  times 
the  amount,  they  would  not  have  said  obrigado  (thank  you)  ; 
it  would  only  have  given  them  a little  longer  spell  of 
dissipation,  like  a “ Jack  ashore.” 

To  my  sorrow  and  great  disappointment,  I learned  that 
the  last  trading  bote  had  passed  down  the  river  only  two 
days  previously,  and  that  there  was  not  another  above  stream. 
This  was  doubly  disappointing,  for  the  chance  was  gone  of 
being  able  to  secure  a passage  to  Para  in  a comparatively 
commodious  cabined  barge. 

In  after  years,  when  on  the  lower  Tocantins,  I saw  these 
large  comfortable  boats,  called  botes;  they  are  somewhat 
similar  to  the  barcas  of  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  but  although 
not  so  smart  in  appearance,  are  very  much  larger,  some  being 
fifteen  feet  in  beam,  and  seventy  feet  in  length,  with  a large 
and  commodious  cabin  amidship,  and  manned  with  a crew 
of  twenty  to  forty  Indians.  This  large  number  is  carried 
to  make  the  numerous  portages  at  the  many  rapids  on 
the  lower  Tocantins,  below  and  a little  above  the  Araguaya, 
where  all  the  cargo  has  to  be  taken  out  and  carried  above 
the  rapids,  and  the  empty  bote  dragged  up  by  ropes.  In 
descending  the  river  the  bote  shoots  the  falls.  Twelve  months 
are  consumed  in  a trading  trip  from  Para  to  the  city  of 
Palma  on  the  upper  Tocantiivs,  ten  in  ascending,  and  two  in 
descending  the  river.  I was  told  that  if  a trader  can  make 
two  succe-ssful  trips  without  shipwreck,  he  is  enabled  to  retire 
with  a competence.  The  goods  that  are  brought  up  are 
cotton  prints,  shawls,  fancy  goods,  hardware,  salt,  gunpowder, 
cheap  guns,  Birmingham  jewellery,  dried  Newfoundland 


The  River  Trade  of  the  Tocantins.  217 

codfish,  flour,  coflTee,  cachara,  and  various  trifles  ; these  are 
bartered  at  the  river-side  villages  and  settlements  for  raw 
hides,  gold  dust,  dried  beef,  copahiba  oil,  medicinal  plants, 
tobacco,  jaguar  and  other  skins,  beans,  farinha,  toucinho,  &c. 
If  a man  can  earn  a moderate  fortune  in  two  years  in  such  a 
life,  he  well  deserves  it,  for  it  is  arduous,  unhealthy,  and  full 
of  insect  tortures  ; there  is,  moreover,  the  great  risk  he  incurs 
of  shipwreck  of  a whole  year’s  work,  which  more  often  happens 
than  not.  To  be  a successful  trader  a man  must  have  capital 
to  start  with,  be  “ smart  ” in  quite  the  American  sense,  be  strong 
and  healthy,  and  have  an  iron  constitution,  great  patience, 
and  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  his  trade,  the  people, 
and  the  river,  and  be,  moreover,  blessed  with  good  luck. 

I had  e.\pected  to  find  Pedro  Afibnso  a semi-Indian  village, 
and  was  much  surprised  to  meet  only  an  ordinary  Brazilian 
hamlet,  although  there  were  many  pure  Indians  in  the 
settlement,  Cherentes  and  Coroados,  who  only  differ  in 
appearance  from  the  ordinary  Matuto  in  their  stout  physique, 
their  features,  and  long  straight  black  hair  ; amongst  them 
were  several  Indian  lads  from  the  Rio  Araguaya,  who  could 
barely  speak  Portuguese. 

The  lads  came  to  my  hut  in  the  evening  with  an  Indian 
who  understood  Portuguese,  and  after  much  persuasion  they 
performed  some  of  their  native  dances  ; they  were  merry 
sturdy  fellows,  and  laughed  with  great  glee  when  I read  out 
to  them  a short  vocabulary  of  words  I had  written  from  the 
explanations  of  their  companion.  They  were  working  for  a 
man,  practically  as  slaves,  but  apparently  well  treated,  after 
the  rough  country  fashion,  and  were  evidently  happy  and 
contented,  and  much  better  off  than  in  their  former  savage 
state. 

For  the  voyage  down  the  Tocantins,  the  only  means  that 
offered  was  a moutaria,  or  small  river  boat,  that  I purchased 
for  fifty  milreis  (5/.)  ; a broad  shallow  boat,  built  of  thin 
narrow  planks  of  cedro,  with  a little  round  thatched  roof  at 
the  long  pointed  stern,  where  the  name  of  the  craft,  “ Sussu- 


2i8 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


Apara  ” was  painted.  It  was  inconveniently  small,  being  only 
3 feet  6 inches  beam  in  the  middle,  and  14  feet  long,  but  it 
was  a case  of  Hobson’s  choice,  that  or  nothing. 

A crew  of  two  men  were  shipped  as  A.B.  paddlers,  Pacifico 
Dias  Ribeiro,  and  Evaristo  Santos  Oliveira,  the  former 
contracted  to  go  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Araguaya  for 
25^000,  and  the  latter  to  Boa  Vista  for  6§ooo  ; both  had  the 
most  villainous  and  rascally  of  faces,  and  both  had  been 
soldiers  and  convicts.  Although  there  was  little  doubt  of 
their  being  thorough  scoundrels,  I trusted  myself  with  them, 
with  much  less  hesitation  than  I would  have  with  a London 
rough,  in  similar  circumstances. 

The  next  day  was  consumed  in  obtaining  provisions  for  the 
voyage  ; a quarter  of  a bullock  was  bought  for  3§500  (seven 
shillings),  cut  up  into  strips,  rubbed  with  salt,  and  suspended 
in  the  sun  to  dry.  This  appears  to  be  a rough  method  of 
preserving  meat,  but  when  it  is  done  properly  and  effectively, 
it  is  complete,'  and  after  a week  or  ten  days,  when  roasted  on 
a spit  over  a fire,  its  flavour  is  exceedingly  palatable,  even 
admitting  the  healthy  relish  for  anything  that  the  camp  fire 
develops.  It  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Came  Secca, 
that  is  such  a great  article  of  merchandise  in  the  coast  towns, 
that  is  truly  abominable,  impregnated  as  it  is  with  the  odours 
of  the  close  holds  of  ships,  and  all  kinds  of  undesirable  flavours. 

By  the  little  information  that  could  be  gleaned  of  Pedro 
Affonso  and  its  history,  I learned  that  it  was  originally  a 
village  of  cannibal  Coroado  Indians.  In  1848,  an  Italian 
monk  from  Bahia,  named  I'rae  Rafael,  arrived  amongst  them^ 
he  met  with  a rough  reception  at  first,  and  was  for  a longtime 
in  daily  danger  of  losing  his  life,  but  his  tact,  patience,  and 
kind  and  gentle  nature,  gradually  so  gained  the  obedience  and 
good-will  of  these  wild  sons  of  the  forest,  that  he  was  enabled  to 
baptize  them  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  teach  them  a 

• In  the  table-lands  of  Ceai  a and  Piauhy  the  atmosphere  is  so  dry  that 
tlic  meat  can  be  preserved  l)y  simply  drying  it  in  the  sun  without  any 
salt  wliatevcr. 


Missionakiks. 


2 I 9 

few  habits  of  industry,  agriculture,  and  to  provide  for  the 
coming  morrow,  yet  still  they  wear  only  their  natural  garments, 
i.c.,  their  skin,  and  a few  feathers  stuck  in  their  hair  on  State 
occasions  ; possibly  the  poor  Frade  has  nothing  to  dress  them 
with,  and  wisely  sees  no  shame  where  none  exists. 

In  1850,  the  first  Brazilian  settlers  appeared  amongst  the 
Indians,  who  two  years  aftenvards,  accompanied  by  their 
beloved  pastor,  sought  a more  congenial  existence  in  the 
wilderness  on  the  borders  of  the  Rio  do  Manoel  Alves  Pequeno. 
A few  months  ago  (1875),  the  aged  monk,  reduced  to  helpless- 
ness by  a stroke  of  paralysis,  was  visited  by  Frae  Antonio  (a 
brother  missionary  monk),  who  carried  the  invalid  with  him 
to  his  home  with  the  Cherente  Indians,  on  the  Rio  Ipiabanha, 
72  miles  up  the  Tocantins.  Every  one  spoke  of  these 
self-sacrificing  men  in  terms  of  affection  and  respect.  No 
reward  on  this  earth  can  they  e.xpect,  except  that  satisfaction 
and  contentment,  that  an  abnegation  of  self  to  the  dictates 
of  duty  and  conscience,  must  and  does  confer.  I regretted 
immensely  that  time  would  not  permit  of  witnessing  the 
result  of  their  labours,  and  forming  an  acquaintance  of  these 
wonderfully  unselfish  men.  In  about  1870,  the  chief  of 
the  Cherentes,  known  as  Capitao  Gabrielle,  with  a small 
following  of  his  tribe,  made  a long  journey  to  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
to  visit  the  Emperor.  They  returned  pleased  with  their  visit, 
and  loaded  with  presents. 

The  population  of  Pedro  Affonso  is  variously  estimated  at 
300  to  500  souls  ; the  habitations  are  very  scattered,  and 
cover  a considerable  area  of  ground,  yet  the  former  number 
is  probably  the  more  correct. 

The  hamlet  contains  a little  church  of  whitewa.shed  adobe 
walls  and  tiled  roof,  extremely  plain,  and  as  unpretentious  as 
a white  box.  Around  it  are  scattered  the  greater  number  of 
houses.  There  was  then  no  Padre,  for.  no  one  had  taken  the 
place  of  Frae  Rafael. 

The  inhabitants  are  extremely  indolent,  and  their  homes 
decrepit  and  dirty ; the  principal  occupations,  apparently 


220 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


are  smoking,  sleeping  and  gambling,  in  the  considerable  off 
time  of  rearing  cattle,  and  a petty  agriculture  for  the  supply 
of  local  wants.  Yet,  even  so,  the  place  manages  to  support 
five  vendas  or  stores,  whose  owners  lead  frightfully  monotonous 
lives  ; it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  Senhor  L.  exists  in  such 
an  utter  state  of  collapse  and  limpness ; such  a life  would 
drive  any  decent  European  into  a lunatic  asylum  in  a very 
short  time. 

The  site  of  the  village  was  well  chosen  by  the  aborigines, 
as  it  is  far  above  any  possible  river  floods. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  the  banks  of  the  Tocan- 
tins rise  into  yet  higher  ground  and  form  considerable  bluffs, 
in  one  place  cleaved  by  the  exit  of  the  rushing  waters  of  a 
stream,  that  will  furnish  excellent  water-power  for  the  mills 
in  the  very  very  distant  future,  when  these  luxuriant  pastoral 
and  agricultural  lands  are  colonized  and  developed.* 

May  2>rd. — This  morning  the  inontaria  “ Sussu-Apara,”  is 
brought  alongside  the  muddy  landing-place  of  the  village  to 
receive  its  cargo,  but  unfortunately  it  cannot  carry  all  the 
crew,  passengers  and  baggage,  and  some  part  of  the  latter 
must  be  left  behind,  and  in  consequence  I regretfully  have  to 
partwith  myuseful  tent.  At  the  last  moment, Pacifico, who  had 
been  for  some  time  uneasily  twirling  his  hat  and  scratching  his 
head,  and  evidently  hesitating  to  make  some  request,  demands 
an  advance  of  20^000  out  of  his  25^000.*  A long  and  windy 
argument  ensues,  that  finally  ends,  with  the  help  of  a 
Senhor  Leoncio,  in  the  man  accepting  5|looo.  When  we  arc 
all  aboard,  the  gunwale  of  the  craft  is  only  three  inches  above 
the  water,  and  it  is  so  “ tender,”  that  any  careless  movement 

- On  old  maps  of  Ilrazil  a S.  Lorenzo  is  marked  in  front  of  the  Somno. 
The  oldest  inhabitant  could  give  me  no  information  of  its  e.xistcnce  any- 
where or  at  any  time. 

■'*  This  is  a very  objectionable  but  almost  universal  custom  of  the 
camaradas  to  obtain  an  advance  of  wages.  As  a rule  they  keep  faith 
with  their  pafrCio,  and  abide  by  their  agreements  ; but  the  patrao  is 
nevertheless  liable  to  have  his  crew  desert  him  at  any  riverside  place, 
where  he  may  fail  to  obtain  a substitute. 


Adkos  to  Pkoro  Affonso. 


22  1 


of  the  cre  w must  certainly  capsize  us.  Some  dozen  or  so  of 
people  witness  our  departure,  but  the  weary  Senhor  L.  is  not 
capable  of  the  exertion  of  walking  the  intervening  200 
yards.  I stroll  to  his  venda  to  bid  him  farewell.  He  lays 
coiled  up  in  a hammock  smoking  a cigarette,  and  without 
raising  himself,  he  wearily  extends  hfs  flabby  moist  cold 
hand,  yawns  a boa  viageni^  and  turns  his  heavy  head  to 
sleep  a little  more,  grateful  doubtless,  for  my  departure.  He 
told  me  once  that  I was  always  in  such  a hurry,  and  always 
so  hot  and  red,  that  it  made  him  incommodado  (ill)  to  see 
me.  How  he  managed  to  obtain  a livelihood,  would  appear  to 
be  a curious  problem,  for  no  customers  are  to  be  met  with  in 
his  half-closed  store  ; his  principal  business  consists  in  collecting 
the  little  local  produce,  and  exchanging  or  selling  it  to  the 
river  traders,  and  as  the  trading  sea.son  only  lasts  during  three 
or  four  months  of  the  year,  he  apparently  sleeps  away  the 
other  nine,  like  the  animals  in  an  Arctic  winter. 

With  much  shouts  of  “ Vom'  evibora  rapaziada'  ! Vom 
emboral  A decs,  Pedro  Affonso  I Adeos,  adeos  gente  ! Adcos, 
Mariqiiinha  ! Adeos,  raparigas  gordas  e bonitas  ! Vom’  para 
0 rio  abaixo,”  etc.  (Let  us  be  off,  boys  ! Let  us  be  off!  Adeos, 
Pedro  Affonso  ! Adeos,  adeos,  you  people  ! Adeos,  little  Mary! 
Adeos,  lasses  fat  and  pretty.  Let  us  away  to  the  river  below, 
etc.),  we  start  off  with  a spurt  of  furious  paddling  that 
results  in  but  little  speed,  and  warns  the  men  by  the  craft 
shipping  water,  that  they  must  go  quieter,  and  have  no  sky- 
larking, in  fact,  so  tender  is  the  boat  that  any  change  of 
position,  or  movement  by  any  of  us,  has  to  be  made  by  pre- 
concerted signals  ; even  a sneeze  has  to  be  done  with  all  due 
care.  The  prospect  of  a journey  to  Para  in  such  a cramped 
space,  and  in  such  a frail  craft,  is  not  by  any  means  enjoyable. 

The  paddles  the  men  use  are  very  different  to  the  great 
heavy  paddles  of  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  these  are  small  and 
of  light  cedar  wood,  not  more  than  three  feet  long,  the  blade 
is  quite  flat  and  circular,  eight  inches  in  diameter,  the  men 
are  seated  and  paddle  with  short  quick  strokes,  forty  to  the 


222 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


minute  ; on  the  Sao  Francisco,  the  paddlers  stand  up  and 
give  long  powerful  strokes,  not  more  than  twenty-two  to  the 
minute. 

As  we  pass  down-stream,  the  sight  of  numerous  huts  on 
the  banks  recalls  the  riverside  of  the  Sao  Francisco,  but 
there  the  resemblance  ends,  for  this  river  is  everywhere 
clothed  with  dense  thick  vegetation  down  to  the  water’s  edge, 
no  matter  how  high  the  banks,  their  slopes  are  all  green  with 
dense  foliage.  The  appearance  of  the  Tocantins  woods  is 
rather  mean,  for  the  verdure  appears  to  consist  principally  of 
compact  masses  of  bushes  of  low  growth,  covered  and  bound 
together  with  flowering  vines.  Possibly  the  long  tiros  or 
straight  reaches,  that  terminate  in  horizons  of  sky  and  water, 
tend  to  diminish  and  dwarf  the  appearance  of  the  green  banks, 
and  the  effect  is  really  deceptive,  for  behind  those  walls  of 
leaves  are  many  trees  of  considerable  magnitude  that  are  not 
noticeable  from  the  water. 

Evaristo  having  asked  permi.ssion  to  land  at  a little  farm 
for  a few  moments,  I accompanied  him,  and  was  rewarded  by 
meeting  a character.  The  path  led  for  about  half  a mile 
away  from  the  belt  of  bush  and  forest  of  the  river,  acro.ss 
undulating  gra.ss-land,  and  brought  us  to  an  adobe  wall  and 
tiled  house,  outbuildings  and  cattle  currals,  rather  prettily 
situated  by  the  side  of  a thicket  of  trees,  close  to  a small 
stream  of  good  water  splashing  over  a roughly-made  over- 
shot water-wheel  that  worked  the  wooden  rollers  of  a cane- 
mill.  In  one  of  the  sheds  some  five  or  si.x  young  white 
women  were  at’work  drying  farinha  in  a large  open  shallow 
pan  over  a small  furnace  constructed  of  adobe  bricks  ; they 
were  but  partly  clad  in  skirts  onl)^,  and  had  they  been  well- 
cleansed,  their  skins  would  have  been  practically  white  ; they 
all  had  good  features,  and  were  it  not  for  their  coarse  e.x- 
pressions,  they  would  have  made  quite  handsome  women  ; 
but  their’ foul  ragged  skirts,  dirty  skins,  and  wild  tangled 
hair,  made  them  appear  repulsively  objectionable.  They 
were  the  slaves  of  the  Capitao,  possibly  his  own  daughters. 


A Murderous  Rascal. 


223 


This  individual  now  approaches,  such  a capitao,  truly  a 
veritable  ogre  ; the  being  that  now  shouts  a salutation  to  us, 
is  tall  and  strongly  built,  in  age  apparently  between  sixty  and 
seventy.  A battered  straw  hat  covers  his  long  dirty  white 
hair,  that  hangs  over  his  brows  and  on  his  shoulders  in  un- 
kempt tangled  locks.  Enormously  bushy  grey  eyebrows 
almost  meet  together  in  a deep  scowl  over  a long  hooked  nose, 
and  nearly  hide  from  view  his  small  deeply  sunk  keen  eyes, 
that  peer  at  one  with  a look  of  mingled  cunning  and  .savagery ; 
his  long  beard  and  moustache  that  should  be  white,  are  yellow 
with  dirt  and  snuff,  the  beard  covers  his  face  to  the  verge  of 
the  puffy  circles  around  his  eyes.  His  garments  comprise  a 
very  dirty  ragged  shirt,  girdled  around  his  waist  by  a cord,  in 
which  is  stuck  a sheathed  faca  de  ponta  (a  pointed  knife),  his 
trousers,  once  white  cotton,  are  brown  with  dirt  ; one  ragged 
portion  reaches  to  an  ancle,  the  other  barely  to  his  knee, 
both  frayed  to  rags  and  tatters  and  daubed  with  mud  ; 
his  shirt  is  open  to  his  waist,  and  exposes  a rough  grey  hairy 
chest,  more  like  a monkey’s  than  a human  being’s.  His 
broad  powerful  hands  are  covered  with  long  grey  hairs,  his 
broad  bare  feet  are  caked  with  mud.  Altogether  he  looks 
the  most  diabolical  scoundrel  that  I had  ever  had  the  pleasure 
to  sketch.  As  a model  he  would  be  invaluable. 

On  the  way,  Evaristo  had  acquainted  me  with  his  history. 
It  is  doubtful  where  he  first  hailed  from,  but  he  was  known  to 
have  been  once  a large  planter  in  Piauhy,  then  a trader  on 
the  river,  and  the  proprietor  of  stores  in  different  riverside 
towns  and  villages,  and  was  for  the  interior  of  Brazil,  then 
considered  to  be  very  rich,  but  an  insatiable  desire  for  killing 
got  him  into  such  trouble,  and  provided  such  opportunities 
to  local  authorities  to  turn  an  honest  penny,  that  his  property 
was  consumed  in  the  course  of  twenty-two  trials  for  murder 
in  as  many  years,  each  of  which  he  had  apparently  escaped 
from  by  gradually  parting  with  his  wealth.  Evaristo  said  he 
was  rather  proud  of  his  exploits,  and  that  he  would  be  pleased 
to  have  a chat  about  them  ; accordingly  I took  an  opportunity 


224 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


to  broach  the  subject  to  the  ogre.  His  eyes  gleamed  in  their 
cavernous  sockets  at  my  questions,  and  he  replied  with  a 
chuckle,  that  after  all  he  was  only  credited  with  twenty- two 
mortes  (deaths),  E’  o reste  ? E’  o reste  ? (And  the  rest  ? and  the 
rest  ?)  he  said,  bending  forward  his  head  with  a jerk,  and 
peering  into  my  face,  at  the  same  time  giving  me  a dig  in  my 
side  with  his  clawlike  fingers,  like  a man  driving  into  another 
the  point  of  a good  joke.  He  wanted  to  be  affable  and  hos- 
pitable, but  it  was  impossible  to  resist  a feeling  of  loathing  at 
the  repulsive  figure  and  murderous  rascal,  and  I made  a hasty 
retreat,  for  he  might  be  seized  with  a desire  to  flesh  his  knife, 
for  an  experiment,  on  a Britisher.  I believed  he  was  a madman, 
and  the  strange  look  of  his  eyes  rather  confirmed  the  impres- 
sion. 

On  the  way  back  I notice  a few  young  naked  Indians  about 
the  premises,  and  inquiring  of  Evari.sto  where  they  came  from, 
he  tells  me  that  the  Capitdo  is  in  the  habit  of  making  raids  on 
the  wandering  tribes  of  Indians  in  the  wild  districts  between 
the  Tocantins  and  Araguaya,  when  he  and  a few  congenial 
natures  slaughter  them  like  beasts  of  prey,  and  bring  away 
the  children  as  captives.'*  The  laws  and  constitution  of  Brazil 

■■  As  a proof  that  this  story  is  probably  no  exaggeration,  I quote  the 
following  extract  from  the  official  report  of  the  Minister  of  Justice  for  the 
year  1883.  The  incident  referred  to  occurred  in  the  Amazons  district. 
“ In  an  official  communication  of  the  27th  January  last  of  the  President 
of  the  Province,  forwarded  during  a voyage  that  he  made  up  the  Rio 
I’urus  as  far  as  the  Rio  Acre,  I was  informed  of  the  horrible  crimes  com- 
mitted there,  and  yet  unpunished  for  want  of  means  for  the  effective 
rciiression  of  the  criminals,  and  by  the  difficulty  of  meeting  in  these 
regions  with  a person  of  ability  to  exercise  without  remuneration  the 
functions  of  a police  agent. 

“ Conspicuous  amidst  these  crimes  arc  tho.se  of  the  barbarous  persecu- 
tions by  Lconel  Antonio  do  Sacramento  of  the  Indians  of  the  Upper 
Purus,  which  have  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  more  than  five  villages, 
and  the  assassination  of  more  than  200  men,  women,  and  children.  In 
these  circumstances  the  presidente  promptly  ordered  a gunboat  to  pro- 
ceed at  once  to  the  Purus,  carrying  the  municipal  judge,  public  prosecutor, 
and  the  notary.  With  these  functionaries  went  ten  soldiers  of  the  line 
under  the  command  of  ;i  sergeant  for  want  of  an  officer.  A person  worthy 


BiCO  I)E  ToUCAXO  AM)  IlIS  RESOURCES,  225 

arc  undoubtedly  on  paper  fairly  reasonable  and  just,  but  in 
practice,  red  tape  will  often  suit  the  convenience  of  the  longest 
purse,  more  especially  in  the  far  interior  of  Brazil,  where  any 
local  magnate  can  commit  with  impunity  the  grossest  crime, 
provided  he  has  influence  and  can  afibrd  to  pay. 

We  continued  the  journey  without  incident,  but  the  heat 
was  considerable,  86°,  and  our  limbs  were  horribly  cramped  by 
being  confined  within  the  limited  space  of  the  boat. 

Numerous  little  streams  join  the  river,  as  a glance  at  the 
map  will  show,  and  indicate  how  well  watered  are  the  margins 
of  this  river.  We  landed  at  a small  sugar-cane  field  bordering 
the  banks,  to  obtain  shelter  for  the  night  at  the  squatter’s 
farm,  comprising  a little  adobe  house  and  an  open  shed  con- 
taining a rude  mill,  worked  by  cattle.  The  tenants  stared  at 
us  stolidly,  and  in  answer  to  our  request  for  a roof,  showed  us 
the  open  shed,  where  we  were  permitted  to  sling  hammocks, 
in  company  with  pigs  revelling  in  the  delights  of  chewing  the 
newly-crushed  canes.® 

During  the  next  day  I was  much  amused  by  the  volume 
of  stories,  anecdotes  and  jokes,  that  flowed  unceasingly  from 
Evaristo  (or  Bico  de  Toncano,  Toucan’s  beak,  as  the  other  men 
called  him,  on  account  of  his  long  hooked  nose). 

Our  stores  of  car?ie  secca  bought  at  Pedro  Affonso,  had  been 
laid  out  like  blankets  on  the  roof  of  the  little  cabin  to  dry  in 
the  sun,  but  an  undoubtedly  high  flavour  becomes  perceptible, 
the  meat  assumes  a decidedly  blue  complexion,  and  sundry 
plump  maggots  are  frisking  about  it.  I give  directions  to 

of  all  confidence  was  nominated  as  Delegate  of  Police.”  This  little 
extract  is  sufficient  to  show  what  difficulties  the  government  has  to 
encounter  to  keep  order  in  its  vast  domains.  Its  efforts  are  worthy  of 
esteem,  but  for  one  such  case  as  the  above  (that  only  by  the  casual 
accident  of  the  President  of  the  province  travelling  there,  became  thus 
officially  communicated),  there  are  scores  ofsimilar,  or  even  worse,  crimes 
that  happen  and  pass  away  unheard  of. 

® Sugar- planters  have  told  me  that  if  any  apparatus  could  be  made  as 
effective  as  a pig’s  jaws  for  extracting  the  greatest  quantity  of  juice  from 
a cane,  it  would  e.xcel  the  most  modern  contrivance  for  that  purpose. 

VOL.  II.  Q 


226 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


throw  it  overboard,  but  Evaristo  expostulates,  and  asks 
“ What  shall  we  get  to  eat  then,  if  you  do  that  ? ” “ Oh,  buy 

some  fowls,  or  something  else  at  these  riverside  houses.” 
“They  will  not  sell  you  a thing,  you  just  try,”  he  replies. 
Accordingly,  at  the  next  house  I went  ashore,  and  discovered 
some  fowls,  and  offered  to  purchase  them.  The  people  at  once 
declined  to  .sell  them,  or  anything  el.se,  and  I had  to  return  empty 
handed.  “ Now,”  said  Evaristo,  “if  you  will  give  me  that  meat, 
I will  feed  you  on  the  fat  of  the  land  for  the  rest  of  the  voyage. 
That  was  a propo.sal  I could  not  refuse.  He  took  the  folds 
of  meat,  and  set  to  work  at  washing  them  in  the  river,  the  .same 
as  a wash-woman  will  soap  and  rub  together  soiled  linen, 
then  he  proceeded  to  souse  and  slap  it  repeatedly  in  the  water, 
begged  some  .salt,  which  he  rubbed  in,  and  hung  the  meat  in 
the  sun  to  dry  ; “ it  will  be  all  podre  (rotten)  to-morrow,”  he 
said,  “but  it  will  serve  for  to-day,  you  wait  and  see.”  In  an 
hour  or  two  the  sun  had  dried  the  meat,  and  it  looked  quite 
wholesome.  Evaristo  had  meanwhile  been  watching  with  a 
critical  eye  the  various  huts  on  the  banks,  and  at  last  he 
found  one  to  his  .satisfaction,  when  we  paddled  a.shorc. 
Taking  the  long  strips  of  meat  over  his  shoulder  like  one 
carries  a rug,  he  climbed  the  muddy  bank  and  disappeared  from 
view.  We  waited  a quarter  of  an  hour,  when  he  reappeared^ 
and  called  for  Pacifico.  A little  later  on  they  returned  loaded 
with  six  fat  fowls,  a bunch  of  bananas,  a .sack  of  oranges, 
several  roots  of  .sweet  mandioca,  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  and 
rolls  of  tobacco,  and  both  breathed  an  odour  of  cackar.a,  and 
said  Evaristo  with  glee,  showing  some  coppers,  “ there  is  the 
change  out.”  I felt  a pricking  of  conscience,  but  as  the 
people  would  not  sell,  and  the  cravings  of  nature  must  be 
satisfied,  well — well — paddle  away  quickly  with  our  bargains. 

A little  later  on,  I had  occasion  to  open  a trunk,  when  a 
small  home-made  English  Union  Jack  of  my  old  comrade 
C — , became  exposed  to  view.  I'.varisto  at  once  observed, 
“ What  a pretty  .saint’s  Hag  ; do  lend  it  to  me,  I can  make  a 
young  fortune  out  of  it.”  " V\'hat  do  you  mean  ” “ Wh)’, 


Till-  RlVKKSlDK. 


227 


with  such  a lovely  Hag  as  that,  1 could  go  to  every  house  on 
the  river,  and  get  coppers  by  simply  asking  for  " Esmolas 
(alms) para  0 Diviuo  Espirito  Santo."  ‘ O Evaristo,  Evaristo, 
you  bad  wicked  man.  I lis  consummate  impudence  was  so 
comical,  that  I had  a wee  little  desire  to  see  the  effect  of  his 
experiment.  But  dignity  and  propriety  must  be  duly  studied, 
so  the  flag  was  restored  to  its  abiding-place.  Evaristo  then 
delivered  a long  discourse  on  the  absurd  punctiliousne.ss  of 
some  people. 

I must  now  have  a little  mercy  on  the  long-tried  patience 
of  the  reader  in  following  the  commonplace  incidents  of  these 
journey.s,  and  with  a few  paragraphs  more  I will  land  him  at 
Carolina.  I regret  for  his  .sake,  that  events  have  not  been 
more  “ blood  curdling,’’  that  arc  so  nice  to  read  about  by  a 
winter  fireside  at  home. 

The  map  will  perhaps  show  better  than  a long  dc.scription, 
the  general  configuration  of  the  country.  The  banks  are 
muddy  and  often  composed  of  soft  slime,  black  in  colour  and 
offensive  in  smell,  yet  the  riverside  is  healthy,  and  mosquitos 
are  absent,  the  be.st  indication  of  the  ab.scnce  of  malaria.  In 
the  river,  the  fresh  water  dolphins  {Botus),  constantly  rise  to 
the  surface,  and  with  a deep  sigh-like  sound  return  to  their 
watery  dcpth.s.  They  are  reported  to  give  large  quantities  of 
oil,  but  are  not  utilized  in  any  form  whatever. 

A little  above  the  Rio  do  Manoel  Alves  a chain  of  hills 
crosses  the  river,  and  judging  by  the  smallne.ss  of  most  of  the 
streams  that  join  the  Tocantins  on  the  east  side  between  the 
Somno  and  the  INIanoel  Alv'es,  these  hills  are  probably  a con- 
tinuation of  the  range  that  cros.ses  the  Somno  at  the  Apertada 
da  Hora.  It  is  a feasible  theory,  and  is  entitled  to  e.xist  until  it  is 
proved  wrong.  Otherwise  the  lands  bordering  theriverarc  gently 
undulating,  and  everywhere  covered  with  the  grass  and  scrub 
of  the  sandy  campos,  excepting  on  the  banks  and  up  the  many 

® It  is  customary  for  the  lay  brethren  of  any  church,  when  collecting 
alms  for  church  expenses,  to  carry  a small  flag,  either  of  plain  colours 
or  w ith  emblems  of  the  saint. 


O 2 


228 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


little  valleys  of  the  tributary  streams  where  long  narrow  belts 
of  forest  prevail.  I failed  to  notice  any  of  the  low  marshy 
ground  that  is  so  characteristic  of  the  Rio  Siio  Francisco,  and 
also  any  highlands  like  the  bluffs  of  the  table-lands  that 
follow  that  river  almost  throughout  its  course,  for  the  valley 
of  the  Tocantins  is  a wide  shallow  depression  that  appears  to 
be  scooped  out  and  to  extend  from  its  watersheds  on  the  east 
and  west. 

The  voyage  was  extremely  monotonous  ; there  was  little  to 
attract  attention  ; very  little  bird-life  is  met  with  in  the  long 
reaches  of  water,  bounded  in  the  far  distance  by  an  horizon  of 
sky  and  water,  and  right  and  left  by  long  lines  of  den.se  bush  ; 
the  sun  beat  pitilessly  on  us,  and  reflected  its  brazen  rays 
from  the  shimmering  surface  of  the  water,  and  withal,  the 
cramped  space  and  the  care  required  in  making  any  movements, 
created  great  discomfort  and  an  inten.se  feeling  of  ennui,  and 
throughout  the  voyage  we  did  not  sight  a craft  of  any  kind. 

To  simply  say  that  the  banks  of  the  Tocantins  are  inhabited 
would  create  an  erroneous  impre.ssion,  although  every  few  miles 
huts  do  appear,  but  inland  there  are  no  habitations  whatever, 
yet  the  riverside  might  just  as  well  be  quite  unpopulated  for 
what  benefits  or  utility  these  people  confer  on  the  world,  or 
their  fellow-creature.s.  They  lead  entirely  .selfish  lives,  working 
just  sufficient  to  eke  out  a wretched  existence;  they  cannot  be 
happy,  for  their  dull  listless  physiognomies  prove  otherwise,  it 
is  a sort  of  penal  servitude  for  life,  at  least  so  they  make  it. 
Much  might  be  done  on  this  river  by  industry,  combination, 
and  enterprise,  but  combination  is  a thing  utterly  ab.sent  from 
the  Itrazilian  matutos’  conception,  and  so  they  e.xist  like  the 
plants  around  them,  each  living  for  him.self,  sleeping  away 
their  lives,  until  death  relieves  them  of  their  w'eari.some  bur- 
dens. Still  there  is  latent  a good  solid  material  in  these 
people,  what  is  indispen.sable  is  a century  of  good  example 
and  neiu  European  blood  especially,  and  then  thc.se  twelve 
millions  of  Brazilians  will  add  their  proper  quota  to  the  world’s 
supplies  ; as  it  is,  if  a good  half  were  wiped  out  the  world 


A WOKF'UL  I.OSS.  229 

would  be  none  the  worse,  and  yet  the  cry  in  Brazil  is  for  more 
bracos  (arms). 

One  night  an  irreparable  disaster  occurred,  that  to  this  day 
I deplore.  I had  been  making  a sketch  of  the  river  when  I 
was  called  away  to  the  evening  meal,  and  leaving  the  sketch 
and  note-book  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  I adjourned  to  “dress 
for  dinner.”  On  my  return  the  wretched  Feroz  was  found 
occupying  the  place  where  my  treasures  had  been  left;  alas  ! 
they  had  disappeared  into  the  water,  never  more  to  be  seen. 
The  sketch-book  alone,  contained  some  200  sketches,  and 
the  note-book  contained  many  invaluable  notes.  I felt 
much  disposed  to  grief;  fortunately  my  diaries  were  yet 
.safe  in  my  trunk. 

On  the  7th  May  we  reached  Carolina.  On  the  summit  of 
a lofty  bank  of  a red  sandy  loam,  a little  bushy  flat  leads  to  a 
few  scattered  huts,  half  hidden  from  view  by  tall  bushes  and 
trees,  and  following  a narrow  path  for  about  300  yards,  I 
entered  an  oblong  grass-grown  sandy  square,  surrounded  by 
houses.  It  looks  silent  and  de.serted  in  the  bright  glare  and 
heat  of  the  afternoon  sun,  and  only  one  or  two  people  are  to 
be  seen  moving  about.  Not  having  any  letters  of  introduction 
to  any  one,  I called  upon  the  Juiz  de  Direito  (District  Judge), 
and  sent  in  my  card  by  the  hands  of  a molcque  who  had  re- 
sponded to  the  clap  of  my  hands.  The  nigger  boy  took  the 
pasteboard  very  gingerly,  looked  at  it,  smelt  it.  and  ran  away 
holding  it  at  arm’s  length;  he  soon  returned  and  in  a patronizing 
manner  told  me  I might  enter.  The  judge  was  a handsome 
intelligent-looking  white  gentleman,  poli.shed  courteous  and 
“ ires  distvigHc”  in  appearance  despite  his  dre.ssing-gown, 
ceroulas  and  slippers.  In  the  conversation  that  followed  he 
earnestly  advised  me  to  abandon  the  idea  of  going  down  the 
river  to  Para,  not  only  on  account  of  the  late  season  of  the 
year,  and  the  consequent  increased  difficulties  of  passing  the 
many  rapids  and  falls,  but  also  because  of  reports  that  had 
arrived  of  an  exceedingly  bad  epidemic  of  malignant  fevers 
and  small  pox  that  was  raging  oa  the  river  belo^-  the  Araguaya 


230 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


and  that  it  would  be  far  preferable  to  go  overland  through 
the  province  of  Maranhao,  to  its  capital  on  the  coast.  Con- 
sidering that  the  juiz  was  in  a position  to  judge  of  the  merits 
or  disadvantages  of  either  route,  and  at  the  time  not  knowing 
what  motive  he  could  have  for  dissuading  me  to  abandon  the 
Tocantins,  and  as  either  route  was  immaterial  to  me,  I accepted 
his  advice. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  juiz,  I sought  and  found  the 
Pi'omotor  Publico  (Public  Prosecutor),  a fair-haired  young 
man,  at  whose  house  I obtained  an  accommodation 
until  I could  obtain  a troop  of  animals  to  convey  me  to 
Chapada. 

Carolina  was  created  a township  in  1831,  and  a city  in  1859. 
It  contains  one  mean  little  whitewashed  church,  two  well- 
stocked  stores,  and  five  small  vendas,  a jail,  a public  school, 
and  a police  force  of  ten  men,  then  commanded  by  a sub- 
lieutenant, the  Senhor  Commandante.  It  is  reported  to  have 
a population  of  1 500  inhabitants  ; its  chief  inhabitants  consist 
of  the  local  authorities,  the  Juiz  de  Direito,  the  Padre,  the 
Juiz  Municipal,  the  Public  Prosecutor,  the  Delegado  de 
Policia,  a lawyer,  the  schoolmaster,  two  principal  negociantes 
(shopkeepers),  and  a few  fasendeiros,  who  own  town-houses^ 
There  are  a few  fairly  comfortable  houses  of  two  stories, 
rejoicing  in  the  unusual  luxury  of  glazed  windows,  and  in  one 
house  there  is  actually  a piano.  The  accompanying  sketch 
will  convey  an  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  pra^a  of  this 
sleepy  city  at  mid-day. 

The  silence  of  the  grass-grown  square,  and  the  ab.sence  of 
movement  is  remarkable  even  for  an  inland  town,  no  country 
carts,  no  mule  nor  horse  troops  break  thegrim  monotony;  even 
on  the  shore  of  the  landing-place,  no  balsas,  nor  canoes,  nor 
other  craft  arc  to  be  seen. 

A purchaser  was  found  for  the  montaria,  ami  the  crew  were 
dismissed,  but  had  there  been  reason  to  anticipate  the 
long  delay  of  three  weeks  1 was  eventually  subjected  to 
in  obtaining  transport  across  country,  I should  certainly  have 


Arrival  at  Carolina. 


231 


rather  preferred  to  take  my  chance  of  the  fevers  and 
dangerous  rapids  of  the  lower  Tocantins,  and  have  gone  on 
to  Para  in  the  niontaria,  although  it  was  perhaps  advisable 
that  I did  not  do  so,  for  eventually,  during  my  stay  in  Carolina, 
several  way-worn  boatmen  arrived  from  the  lower  river,  and 
stated  that  smallpox  and  malignant  fevers  were  making  such 
ravages  there,  that  many  homeward-bound  boats  were  aban- 
doned by  the  crews,  and  the  unfortunate  traders  were  left  alone 
in  the  little  towns  and  villages,  to  wait  perhaps  months  for 
a cessation  of  the  epidemic. 

My  efforts  to  obtain  animals  were  a succession  of 
disappointments,  many  a time  a troop  would  be  promised,  but 


The  city  of  Carolina,  Rio  Tocantins. 


when  the  day  came,  excuses  were  sent  me  instead  of  the 
expected  animals,  either  that  the  owner  was  ill,  or  his  animals 
were  found  to  be  unfit  for  work,  or  he  suddenly  wanted  them 
for  other  purposes,  or  his  wife,  or  mother,  or  child,  or  somebody 
was  ill ; it  was  most  perplexing.  At  last  I heard  that  the  Juiz 
de  Direito  would  be  soon  returning  to  Maranhao,  and  it 
suggested  itself  to  me,  that  a companion  to  share  his  travelling 
expenses  would  be  desirable,  and  the  many  excuses  given  me 
by  the  owners  of  horses  and  mules  for  not  fulfilling  their 
engagements  were  perhaps  explained  ; whether  it  was  so  or 
not,  at  any  rate  I could  not  get  away  until  the  Dotitor  made 
his  departure  with  me. 


232 


On  the  Rio  Tocantins. 


The  inhabitants  of  Carolina  and  its  neighbourhood,  arc 
an  extremely  quiet  and  peaceable  set  of  people,  even  the 
petty  jealousies  and  the  rancorousness  generated  by  politics, 
that  so  often  render  these  little  towns  hot-beds  of  factions 
and  intrigues,  appear  to  be  absent  from  this  sleepy  city.  The 
advocate  makes  only  a precarious  livelihood,  and  were  it  not 
for  the  police,  there  would  be  no  work  for  the  sessions,  the 
guardians  of  the  peace  thus  having  no  other  occupation  than 
drinking,  gambling  and  smoking,  have  themselves  to  provide 
work  for  their  official  duties,  for  during  my  residence  the 
majority  of  them  occupied  the  interior  of  the  calabuca 
(lock  up). 

Such  limited  commerce  as  exists  with  the  outer  world,  is 
transacted  with  Para  by  means  of  the  trading  craft  of  the 
Rio  Tocantins.  PTom  what  I could  learn,  the  only  exports 
appear  to  be  hides  and  dried  beef,  and  those  only  in  insignificant 
quantities,  but  a much  larger  importation  comes  from  Para, 
chiefly  of  cotton  goods,  hardware,  and  salt. 

Although  the  river  abounds  with  fish,  no  attempt  is  made 
to  trap  or  net  them.  The  following  are  some  of  the 
commonest  fish  of  the  river  ; — 


F"ish  with  Scales. 


Name  of  fish. 

Length  in 
inches. 

Observations. 

Pirarucu  . 

6o  to  8o 

Generally  used  for  salting. 

Piabanlia  . 

36  to  40 

A good  palatable  fish. 

Biciido 

30  to  36 

Species  of  sword-fish,  dangerous  to 
bathers  ; full  of  spines. 

Caranha  . 

20  to  24 

Almost  round  ; good  flesh. 

Cuvamata . 

20  to  24 

A fly-feeder. 

Aruana 

20  to  24 

Long  and  thin  ; no  good  for  table. 

Piranha  . 

12  to  24 

Ferocious  fish  ; full  of  spines. 

Curiipitc  . 

20  to  24 

A good,  palatable  fish. 

Curvina  . 

16  to  20 

No  good. 

Piau  .... 

12  to  18 

A good,  palatable  fish. 

Pirambeba 

12  to  15 

„ „ flat  body. 

Mandubini 

10  to  14 

Some  Vakietiks  oe  Imsii. 
Fish  without  Scales. 


Name  of  Kish. 

Lcn(;th  in 
inches. 

Firahyb.'i  or ") 
I’ir.Atinga  ) 
Dourado  . 

6o  to  So 

50  to  60 

I'iiitada  . 

50  to  60 

Uotu 

50  to  80 

Pirahuna  . 

50  to  60 

Jahu 

40  to  50 

Chicote  . 

40  to  50 

Para-que  . 

35  to  45 

Caranha  . 

30  to  36 

Surubim  . 

20  to  30 

Harbado  . 

20  to  30 

Cachorro  . 

20  to  30 

Candiru  . 

18  to  22 

Mandim  or  \ 
Armado  ) ' 

20  to  26 

E'idalgo  . 

14  to  iS 

Bico  de  Pato  . 

12  to  15 

Observations. 


A species  of  fresh-water  porpoise  ; 
eatable. 

An  excellent  fish. 

Similar  to  the  sunibim  of  the  Silo 
Francisco. 

Resembles  the  pyrahiha,  but  the  flat 
of  the  tail  is  horizontal. 

Ver)'  thick  body  ; j)  tlatable. 

Great  thick  body  ; not  eatable. 

A large  cel  ; palatable. 

Electric  cel. 

20  inches  wide. 

A good  fish. 

A poor  fish. 

A good  fish. 

Thick  body  ; uneatable. 

A good  fish. 


Many  of  these  fish  of  the  Tocantins  bear  names  similar  to 
those  of  the  Sao  Franci.sco,  where  often  there  is  no  identity  of 
species.  For  instance,  the  doiirado  of  the  latter  river  is  a 
scale-fish,  with  long  sharp  teeth;  on  the  Tocantins  it  is  a tooth- 
less scaleless  mud  fish.  The  surubim  of  the  STio  Franci.sco, 
is  enormous  in  size,  here  it  is  comparatively  small,  and  the 
cunnnata,  cun'iiui, plan,  are  all  different  to  their  namesakes  of 
the  ’Fri.sco. 

Of  these  scaleless  fishes,  there  are  only  two  that  have  large 
teeth,  the  cachorro  and  carauJia. 

But  how  insignificant  is  the  mention  of  these  few  names  of 
even  the  largest  fish  of  these  rivers,  when  it  is  remembered  that 
there  are  already  classified  thirteen  hundred  .species  of  fish  of 
the  Amazons. 

Apart  from  the  exa.speration  created  by  my  inabilit}’  to  get 
away,  there  was  no  other  reason  to  regret  the  long  delay  in 
Carolina,  for  there  were  several  very  nice  families  with  whom 


234 


On  Tiif:  Rio  Tocantins. 


I associated  with  much  pleasure,  and  to  them  I owe  many  a 
debt  for  their  frank  hospitality  and  many  kind  actions,  that  so 
softened  the  tedium  of  my  stay  amongst  them.  My  chief 
resource  for  killing  time,  was  by  exploring  the  neighbourhood 
on  foot,  and  in  sketching. 

From  the  high  banks  of  the  river,  the  land  everywhere  ri.ses 
in  long  rolling  hills  of  gra.ss  and  scrub,  that  extend  to  groups 
of  considerable  hills,  two,  three,  and  four  miles  to  the  rear  of 
the  city. 

Many  streams  intersect  the  country,  and  form  it  into  undu- 
lating hills  and  vales,  in  the  bottoms  there  is  much  wood,  and 
the  banks  of  the  Tocantins  are  everywhere  fringed  with 
narrow  forests.  There  was  nothing  to  shoot  beyond  a few 
birds,  chiefly  pigeons,  parrots,  and  a few  toucans,  and  the  many 
smaller  manikins  and  finches  of  the  ro^as,  and  hawks,  alma 
dc  gatos,  black  anus,  etc.,  of  the  campos. 

The  soil  of  the  campos  is  everywhere  sandy,  the  hills  arc 
.sandstone  and  clay  slate,  and  hard  sandstone  usually  forms 
the  bottoms  of  the  watercourses. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  river,  several  miles  inland  is  a 
long  range  of  hills,  probably  looo  feet  above  the  river  level, 
they  are  reported  to  contain  gold  and  copper,  but  very  little  is 
known  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  the  adjoining  districts  arc 
practically  uninhabited. 

The  river  is  nearly  1200  feet  wide,  and  from  the  Somno  to 
Carolina  not  a rock,  rapid,  or  shallow  exists  to  impede  navi- 
gation. 

There  happened  two  festivals  during  my  stay,  one  being  the 
Novennas  (nine  days’  celebration)  and  final  feast-day  of  the 
Divino  Espirito  Santo,  the  other  being  the  negros  Novennas, 
and  feast  of  their  pet  saint  the  black  Santa  Rosaria.  The 
occasions  brought  many  of  the  country  people  into  the  town, 
who,  however,  kept  well  within  doors  during  the  glare  and 
heat  of  the  daytime.  Fvery  day  there  was  an  inces.sant 
ringing  of  the  church-bcll,  and  firing  of  rockets,  otherwise  the 


A Negro  Festival. 


235 


usual  sleepy  appearance  of  the  city  was  but  little  disturbed. 
In  the.  evening  large  bonfires  were  lighted  in  the  square,  and 
the  labourers  and  country  folk  a.s.sembled  to  dance  tamboa 
and  batuque  dances  to  the  rub-a-dub-dub  accompaniment 
played  with  the  hands  on  the  skin-covered  extremity  of  a 
hollow  tree,  and  to  the  tum-thum  of  violas.  The  juiz  and 
juiza,  or  patron  and  patroness  of  the  Festival,  one  of  the 
leading  shopkeepers  and  his  wife,  kept  open  house,  and  regaled 
visitors  with  green  tea,  coffee,  sweets  and  cakes. 

The  Negro  festival  was  a more  noisy  and  gorgeous  affair. 
I was  conducted  to  a small  door  and  window  house,  the  palace 
of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  the  Feast,  a big  black  negro, 
and  a bigger  and  fatter  negro  lady,  both  pure  Africans  ; they 
were  solemnly  seated  in  chairs  on  a raised  dais  of  boards,  under 
a canopy  of  green  and  yellow  cloth  ; each  one  wore  a massive 
crown  of  solid  silver  on  the  head,  and  chains  of  gold  were 
around  their  necks.  The  man  wore  the  uniform  of  a captain  in 
the  Brazilian  Army,  the  Empress  was  clad  in  a yellow-coloured 
muslin  dress,  and  a long  train  of  crimson  cloth  ; two  Negros  in 
cavalry  uniform,  with  drawn  sabres  in  their  hands,  served  as 
guards  of  honour  ; and  several  black  dam.sels  dressed  in  white 
muslin,  and  freely  decorated  with  massive  gold  ornaments, 
attended  the  Empress  ; these  girls  were  slaves  belonging  to 
various  ladies  of  the  city,  who  had  apparently  crowded  on  to 
the  dark  houris  all  their  bracelets,  rings,  brooches,  and  neck- 
laces. I was  much  surprised  to  see  such  a display  of  jewellery 
especially  when  informed  of  its  sterling  quality.  In  an 
adjoining  and  larger  room,  a long  table  covered  with  a 
white  table-cloth,  was  spread  with  a most  liberal  supply  of 
comestibles  for  the  use  of  the  stream  of  visitors,  who  after 
making  an  obeisance  to  their  Imperial  Majesties,  retired  to  this 
room.  It  was  amusing  to  watch  the  ravenous  despatch  of  the 
good  things,  none  of  the  visitors  wasted  time  on  ceremony,  or 
were  particular  in  their  choice,  each  seized  whatever  was 
nearest.  Bottles"  of  cachaca  supplied  the  place  of  drinkables. 


236 


On  the  Tocantins. 


About  8 p.m  their  Majesties  retired  from  their  throne-room 
and  all  adjourned  to  the  open  square,  where  bonfires  were 
blazing,  and  rockets  banging.  Then  ensued  dances  that 
were  kept  up  the  whole  of  the  long  night.  One,  evidently  an 
Indian  dance,  called  the  cacuriha,  altogether  eclipsed  the  can- 
can, that  in  comparison  is  innocence  itself;  there  were  other  less 
“ warm  ” dances,  such  as  the  tamboa,  the  onca,  and  the  batuqne. 
There  was  a strange  weirdness  in  the  moonlit  scene,  the  blazing 
fire,  the  bounding  agile  figures,  the  strangely  inspiring  yet  withal 


A midnight  festival  at  Carolina. 

monotonous  measures  and  chanting  songs,  mingled  with  loud 
laughter  and  shouts  from  several  inebriated  individuals,  and 
overhead  the  white  moonlit  clouds  drifting  calmly  and  slowl)’ 
across  the  dark  still  heavens,  wafted  along  by  the  gentle 
breeze  of  the  calm  night,  in  solemn  contrast  to  the  little 
pandemonium  on  mother  earth.  The  movements  of  the 
dancers  were  anything  but  modest,  the  turmoil  was  great,  and 
many  of  the  revellers  were  into.xicatcd,  yet  good-humour  and 
hilarity  only  prevailed,  and  there  was  not  the  slightest  approach 
to  a quarrel. 


ROUTK  MAP — CAROLINA  TO  CIIAPADA, 


Vol.  1 1,  p.  «37. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


FROM  CAROLIN.A  TO  CIIAPADA. 

Departure  from  Carolina — Poor  means  of  land  travelling  in  North  Brazil 
— Chasing  cattle — A complimentary  escort — A merry  camp— A hilly, 
elevated  country — I’icturesque  hills — Angelino — An  industrious  negro 
— Castle  Hill — A curious  formation — My  fellow-traveller — A thinly- 
inhabited  country — Rough  tracks — In  the  woods  in  the  darkness — A 
scramble  in  the  dark — Joao  Nogueira  — A copper  region — Our 
wretched  pack-horses — Dewy  nights  in  camp — A march  on  foot — 
Scarcity  of  game — A charming  camp — A strange  tree— The  Serra 
da  Cinta  an  important  range — .A  mountain  path — A rattlesnake — 
Misery  of  travelling  with  poor  animals— A tiring  tramp — A palm 
forest — Morro  do  Frade — Timidity  of  countrywomen — A welcome  , 
rest — An  untidy  farm — Good  news  : a fresh  horse — Flat  plains  and 
deep  valleys — In  a butcher’s  shop  for  the  night — Copper  indications — 

May  26. — The  long- 
waited-for  day  of  de- 
parture at  last  arrives, 
for  the  doutor  is  ready 
for  his  journey,  and  the 
many  obstacles  that 
had  hitherto  prevented 
my  getting  away  all 
suddenly  disappear,  a 
curious  coincidence 
certainly,  and  however 
unpleasant  my  sur- 
mises may  be,  I am 
only  too  glad  to  move  on  any  conditions,  and  consider  it 


Carolina  to  Ciiapada. 


238 

advisable  not  to  be  too  inquisitive  as  to  the  reality  of  certain 
conjectures  I may  have  formed. 

On  this  day,  the  usually  quiet  city  appears  quite  animated. 
Farmers  and  country-people  come  trooping  in  from  the  neigh- 
bourhood on  foot  and  on  horseback,  and  join  the  towns- 
people assembled  in  great  numbers  around  the  house  of 
the  judge,  to  wish  him  a '''‘boa  viagein!'  Every  hor.se  of 
the  neighbourhood  is  requisitioned  by  the  townsfolk  to  add 
to  the  procession  of  mounted  cavalheiros,  the  complimentary 
escort  of  o prhneiro  antoi'idade  da  comar ca  (the  first  authority 
of  the  district),  on  his  departure.  My  new  troop  now  appears, 
two  .saddle  and  two  pack-horses  ; fortunately  I still  have 
my  old  saddle  and  bridle,  for  the  harness  and  cattle  are 
mean  indeed ; gaunt  knock-kneed  sorry-looking  steeds, 
pensive  in  attitude,  and  thoroughly  dejected  in  appear- 
ance ; the  pack-harne.ss  is  old  dilapidated  patched  with 
cotton  cloth,  and  mended  with  ropes  ; the  stuffing  of  the  packs 
is  hard  and  “raws  ’’-producing.  What  a difference  to  the  smart 
mule  troops  of  Minas ! but  the  further  north  one  goes,  the 
more  are  the  inconveniences  of  travel  increased,  there  are  no 
more  roadside  'otels  ox  Jiospcdarias,  no  bridges  over  the  streams, 
mules  are  scarce  in  number  and  poor  in  quality,  and  the 
tropeiros  do  not  understand  their  business  so  well  as  those  of 
the  south.  The  cause  of  this  is  not  only  due  to  the  greater 
poverty  of  the  inhabitants  of  the.se  inland  northern  provinces, 
but  chiefly  to  the  existence  of  so  many  navigable  rivers,  that 
largely  dispen.se  with  a land  traffic. 

The  popularity  of  thq  judge  is  now  evidenced  by  the  sounds 
of  many  vivas  from  the  people  who  .salute  him  as,  mounted 
on  horseback,  he  makes  a final  tour  through  the  precincts  of 
the  city,  accompanied  by  a mounted  following  of  some  si.xty 
of  the  i)rincipal  inhabitants  and  farmers  of  the  neighbourhood. 
'I'lie  doors  and  windows  of  each  house  are  lined  with  their 
inmates,  who  cheer  the  judge  as  he  i>a.s.ses,  hat  in  hand,  bow- 
ing his  farewell  to  his  townsmen.  The  little  cavalcade  linally 


A Skrtankjos  Imcat.  239 

wends  its  way  out  of  the  town,  when  I soon  after  join  it,  after 
biddiii"  good-bye  to  my  friends. 

W'e  arc  soon  amidst  the  many  hills  and  undulating  country 
that  surrounds  the  city  like  a great  amphitheatre.  The  higher 
levels  of  the.se  undulations  occasionally  spread  out  in  con- 
siderable e.xtents  of  flat  gras.sy  tracts,  the  pasture-lands  of 
numerous  herds  of  cattle.  The  young  “ bloods  ” of  the  party, 
who  have  hitherto  been  practising  upon  one  another  the  very 
mild,  and  not  very  funny,  practical  joking  peculiar  to  young 
l^razil,  now  turn  their  attention  to  the  browsing  cattle,  by 
chasing  them  wherever  the  ground  is  level  and  free  from 
anything  requiring  a jump  ; one  of  them  is  evidently  a true 
sertanejo,  for  he  rides  free  as  guacho,  and  dashing  alongside 
a galloping  bull,  seizes  its  outstretched  tail  with  his  hand,  and 
lo ! the  astonished  animal  is  capsized  on  the  ground  amidst 
the  vivas  of  his  comrades.  I had  often  heard  of  this  trick  of 
the  sertanejos  (natives  of  cattle-districts),  but  had  never 
before  seen  it  performed.  Here  in  the  north,  and  in  the  central 
provinces  of  Brazil,  it  substitutes  the  u.se  of  the  lasso  and  the 
bala  of  the  south,  and  of  the  Argentine  States. 

As  we  progre.ss  the  surface  of  the  ridges  of  the  undulations 
becomes  more  sandy  and  sterile,  and  my  wretched  hack  sinks 
deeply  in  the  loose  soil,  and  heavily  plods  onwards  with  many 
a deep  sigh,  but  every  step  is  now  a step  towards  the  coast, 
and  I rejoice  thereat,  callous  to  all  other  matters. 

Every  mile  or  so,  we  pass  by  groups  of  prominent  hills, 
rounded  or  rugged,  none  are  peaked,  and  all  have  more  or  less 
flat  .summits,  the  sources  of  numerous  little  streams  that  have 
worked  out  wide  valleys  from  the  sandy  soil,  and  by  the 
percolation  of  the  water,  have  turned  these  hollows  into  fertile 
wooded  lands. 

Our  start  had  been  made  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  it  was 
7 p.m.  before  we  reached  a small  habitation  at  the  foot  of 
the  Morro  do  Chapeo  (flat  Hill),  a high  rounded  hill  with  a 
flat  top  and  perpendicular  sides,  visible  from  Carolina,  ten 


240 


Carolina  to  Charada. 


miles  away.  There  not  being  room  for  ourselves  and  the 
numerous  escort  that  had  accompanied  the  judge  thus  far, 
and  the  night  being  fine,  a huge  fire  is  soon  blazing  in  the 
yard  in  front  of  the  house  ; where  hides,  mats,  ponchos,  and 
rugs  are  collected  and  laid  on  the  ground  for  beds.  It  is  a 
noisy  camp,  and  the  songs  and  laughs  and  jokes,  are  kept  up 
till  a late  hour  ; but  the  next  morning  some  of  the  young.sters 
look  very  sad  and  quiet,  and  are  evidently  repenting  of  a too 
free  indulgence  in  cachar^a,  late  hours,  and  too  much  hilarity, 
followed  by  a night  in  the  open  air  and  the  chill  mists  of 
daybreak  ; one  or  two  show  very  woebegone  faces,  tied  up 
with  handkerchiefs,  that  tell  a tale  of  headaches  and  “ six- 
pences.” 

The  judge’s  friends  now  return  to  their  homes,  after  bestow- 
ing upon  both  of  us  loving  embraces  and  such  fervently 
c.xpressed,  “ Deos  permit  that  you  may  have  a good  journey, 
Senhor  Doutor ! Deos  permit  that  you  may  be  happy,  &c.” 
All  so  flippantly  uttered,  and  like  their  “ Sen  criado  cstd  a sens 
ordens,  minha  casa,  ineos  servicos  a seii  disposifao'’  (Your  servant 
is  at  your  orders,  my  house,  my  services  at  your  disposition), 
is,  at  least  in  Carolina,  utterly  meaningless.  For  such  appa- 
rently kind  declarations  had  been  constantly  made  to  me 
during  my  stay  in  Carolina,  but  despite  them  all  I had  been 
kept  a prisoner  for  nineteen  day.s,  and  only  at  the  departure 
of  the  judge  could  I obtain  the  sorry  animals  that  now 
formed  my  troop.  The  fact  diminished  my  love  for  the 
Carolinensas,  and  I shall  not  take  away  that  re.spect  and 
pleasant  memories  I should  like  to  have  done,  for  the  other- 
wise kind  treatment  I received. 

During  the  morning’s  ride  the  aneroid  showed  a continual 
increase  in  the  altitude  of  the  land,  that  became  more  and 
more  irregular,  and  so  cut  up  by  deep  narrow  valleys  and 
abruptly  rising  hills,  that  travelling  was  very  laborious  work. 

Amongst  the  woods  of  the  hollows,  palm-trees  of  various 
species  form  the  chief  features  of  the  vegetation  ; two  were 


An  Industrious  Negro. 


241 


entirely  new  to  me,  the ' and  the  as  was  also 

a tree  locally  named  Molcque  that  is  conspicuous  by  a tall 
straight  trunk,  bright  yellow  ochre  in  colour,  exceedingly  bril- 
liant green  leaves  and  crimson  flowers  ; there  was  yet  an  old 
Minas  acquaintance,  the  imbeira-assu;  with  its  scarlet  flowers 
and  sap-green  trunk,  seamed  with  light  yellow  veins  extending 
up  and  down  the  bark.  The  bark  of  this  tree  is  largely  used 
for  binding  purposes,  for  it  jjarts  easily  in  long  strips,  and  forms 
tough  pliable  ropes.  We  sighted  some  deer  in  the  open  lands, 
(but  they  were  very  wild.)  and  in  the  soft  black  soil  of  the 
woods  numerou-  traces  of porcos  dc  matto  were  seen. 

At  mid-day  wc  reached  Angelino,a  small  farm, situated  amidst 
a group  of  hills  rising  300  to  400  feet  in  height,  many  of  them 
are  verj'  picturesque,  for  their  fronts  are  scarped  and  rugged, 
and  worn  by  time  and  weather  into  fantastic  forms,  towers, 
columns,  pinnacles,  flying  buttre.sses  and  deep  cavities,  rich 
in  colours  all  aglow  in  the  bright  sunshine  ; tall  cactu.ses, 
thorny  bamboos  and  matted  bush  clothe  the  lower  slopes, 
grass  and  cerrados  cover  the  inter\-ening  rolling  ground 
between  the  hills. 

Angelino  is  another  good  example  of  what  can  be  done  in 
the  interior  of  Brazil  by  energy  and  hard  work.  The  owner, 
a negro,  was  in  his  younger  days  a slave,  but  on  the  death  of 
his  master  he  receiv'ed  his  freedom.  He  then  left  the  scenes  of 
his  bondage  and  journeyed  in  search  of  a place  to  make  a home 
for  himself  and  his  wife,  and  finally  chose  the  place  where  he 
now  still  lives,  in  what  was  then  a perfect  wilderness  ; in  the 
course  of  thirty  years  of  an  evidently  industrious  life  he  has 
acquired  independence  and  comfort  for  his  old  age. 

The  farm  included  a rough  mill  for  grinding  sugar-cane 
and  making  rapadura,  a comfortable  house,  fairly  neat  and 
clean,  numerous  sheds,  bullock-carts  and  bullock-teams,  con- 

* Cocos  Weddellii.  The  Indians  make  some  of  their  bows  from  this 
palm. 

- Xylopia  frutcscens. 

VOL.  II. 


R 


242 


Carolina  to  Ciiapada. 


siderable  ro^as  and  sugar-fields,  and  a herd  of  1200  cattle.  He 
was  asisted  by  two  sons,  fine  healthy  hone.st  black  fellows,  and 
occasionally  by  a little  hired  labour.  These  are  the  kind  of 
men  that  Brazil  wants.  Yet  this  man  commenced  life  in  the 
worst  of  conditions,  penniless,  uneducated,  without  friends  and 
far  in  the  interior  away  from  all  resources;  but  he  had  the 
advantage  over  a European  emigrant  in  a rough  knowledge 
of  the  soil,  of  what  to  grow  and  how  to  grow  it,  a robust  health, 
a climate  suited  to  his  nature,  a knowledge  of  the  Portugue.se 
language,  and  of  the  people  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

In  the  afternoon  we  left  our  laborious  host  and  the  hills  of 
Angelino,  and  soon  after  emerged  on  to  an  undulating  un- 
inhabited treeless  plain  of  campinas,  intersected  with  occasional 
brejos  (swamps),  and  extending  for  ten  miles  where  we  entered 
on  more  hilly  and  wooded  ground.  At  sunset  we  reached 
Ca.stello  another  small  farm,  situated  at  the  foot  of  Morro  do 
Gastello  (Castle  Hill),  so  named  apparently,  from  a fancied  re- 
semblance to  a round  tower.  The  aneroid  showed  that  we  were 
712  feet  above  the  level  of  Carolina;  the  summit  of  hill  is 
about  400  feet  more. 

At  Gastello  we  met  with  indifferent  treatment,  the  people 
would  neither  give  nor  sell  anything,  not  even  a bottle  of  milk, 
although  several  cows  were  in  a curral  hard  by;  possibly  the 
owner  had  had  an  unpleasant  acquaintance  with  the  courts  of 
the  judge,  for  I noticed  that  the  man  appeared  anything  but 
delighted  at  sight  of  my  companion. 

From  Gastello  to  Estiva  is  sixteen  miles,  the  road  pas.ses 
amidst  hills,  where  it  is  rough  and  strewn  with  boulders,  and 
over  plains  heavy  with  sand  ; the  vegetation  comprises  strips  of 
woods  in  the  valleys,  cerrados  on  the  hills,  and  scattered 
tufts  of  thin  grass  on  the  flats  ; very  few  birds  were  seen,  and 
no  quadrupeds  whatever. 

The  mid-day  halt  was  made  by  the  side  of  the  RioFarinha, 
a stream  about  forty  feet  wide,  flowing  towards  the  Tocantin.s. 
Its  clear  waters  pass  over,  or  under,  flat  slabs  of  ironstone  rocks, 


My  Fellow  Traveller. 


243 


that  apparently  form  the  sub-soil  of  the  adjoining  land.  In 
some  places  the  stream  completely  disappears  from  .sight,  but 
occasional  crevices  in  the  rocks  show  the  waters  underneath, 
sometimes  over  twenty  feet  deep ; the  owner  of  an  adjoin- 
ing hut  informed  me  that  gold  and  copper  had  been  found  in 
the  neighbourhood,  but  had  never  been  worked. 

The  mid-day  rest  was  pa.ssed  by  my  fellow-traveller  in  a 
hammock,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  luxuries  of  a siesta, 
for  he  was  already  greatly  fatigued  with  the  journey,  and 
prodigious  were  the  yawns  and  groans  with  which,  by  a final 
effort,  he  got  up  and  prepared  for  the  road  by  re-assuming 
his  comfortable  vestments  of  a white  cotton  suit,  white  cotton 
gloves,  long  and  wide  light  brown  boots,  broad-brimmed  straw 
hat,  blue  spectacles,  and  white  umbrella*  lined  with  green. 

It  is  late  in  the  afternoon  before  we  commence  the  si.xteen 
miles  to  the  propo.sed  camp  for  the  night,  and  already  much 
too  late  to  start  on  such  a distance,  but  the  road  proves  fairly 
good,  over  long  dusty  parched-up  plains,  passing  on  the  way 
two  habitations  and  the  Rio  do  Matto,  one  of  the  sources  of 
the  Rio  Grajahii. 

As  the  sun  disappears  wc  enter  a forest  district,  where,  in 
reply  to  inquiries  for  our  destination,  our  guide  says,  “ perto, 
mais  um  bocadinho"  (it  is  close  by,  a little  bit  more),  words 
that  may  and  do  imply  anything,  or  any  distance.  As  we 
proceed,  the  darkness  falls  apace,  the  woods  become  thicker, 
the  path  narrower  and  more  obstructed,  and  the  horses  stumble 
over  tree-roots  and  into  holes  ; twigs,  branches,  thorns  and 
hanging  vines  slap  and  scratch  our  faces  and  hands,  knock 
off  our  hats  and  tear  our  clothes,  and  the  darkness  at  last 
becomes  complete  ; occasional  efforts  are  made  to  light  the  way 
with  matches  or  impromptu  torches,  that  only  serve  to  make 
the  surrounding  darkness  darker,  yet  the  animals,  with  many 

^ In  after  years,  in  travelling  in  Brazil,  I adopted  the  same  comfortable 
costume,  minus  the  umbrella,  and  can  strongly  recommend  their  use 
with  the  addition  of  flannel  belt. 


R 2 


244 


Carolina  to  Chapada. 


a halt,  squeeze  through  bushes,  and  still  move  onwards  some- 
where, where,  it  is  impossible  to  tell;  after  what  seems  an  inter- 
minable time,  the  voice  of  the  guide  is  heard  ahead  calling  out, 
“ Look  out ! the  descent,”  and  then  follows  the  noise  of  a 
scramble  somewhere.  How  is  any  one  able  to  look  out  for 
anything  in  this  impenetrable  gloom.  A lighted  match  only 
faintly  shows  the  ears  of  my  horse  and  the  thick  foliage 
around  us;  suddenly  the  animal  disappears  from  under  me,  and 
rolls  down  somewhere,  and  throwing  myself  from  the  .saddle,  I 
find  myself  shooting  through  bushes  without  any  apparent 
foundation,  but  finally  land,  much  scratched  and  with  torn 
clothes,  on  all  fours  in  the  soft  muddy  bed  of  a stream,  close 
to  the  horse,  that  is  upside  down  and  bestowing  on  me  a shower 
of  mud  and  water.  The  noise  of  the  tumble  and  shouts  to 
stop,  prevent  in  time  my  companion  following  on  top  of  me. 
The  days  of  that  guide  must  surely  be  shortened  in  consequence 
of  the  chorus  of  dreadful  language  that  salutes  him,  but  he  is 
no  better  off  than  I,  for  he  and  his  horse  have  similarly  rolled 
down  the  bank  into  the  muddy  ravine.  The  men  on  the  bank 
light  a candle  and  pass  it  down,  and  with  the  addition  of  the 
light  of  an  improvised  torch  of  a few  dried  palm-leaves,  hastily 
gathered,  we  discover  we  are  in  the  bed  of  a narrow  muddy 
stream,  about  twenty  feet  wide,  and  bordered  by  perpendicular 
banks,  twelve  feet  high.  But  no  harm  is  done  beyond  a 
shaking,  a few  bruises  and  scratches,  and  clothes  torn  wet  and 
muddy.  At  first  sight  it  appears  difficult  to  see  how  the  others 
can  avoid  descending  except  by  my  route,  but  a little  time  and 
patience  .shows  an  easier  descent  close  by,  and  finally  an  exit 
out  of  the  stream.  It  is  a strange  sight  in  the  surrounding 
obscurity  to  sec  us  huddled  together  in  the  water  of  the  stream, 
faintly  illumined  by  the  light  of  the  torch,  some  slipping 
down  the  sharp  dc.sccnt  and  tumbling  into  the  stream,  others 
struggling  up  the  steep  banks  opposite;  the  gloom,  the  faint 
light,  the  noise  of  struggling  animals  and  splashing  of  water, 
the  shouts  of  the  men  echoing  in  this  dark  vault,  formed  ccr- 


A ScRAMBI.I-:  IN  THE  DaRK. 


245 


tainly  a weird  scene,  but  cold  wet  muddy  clothes,  are  very 
unromantic.  \Vepu.sh  on  through  the  dark  forest  beyond,  for 
a long  half-hour,  that  seems  an  eternity,  and  finally  emerge 
with  a hearty  feeling  of  thankfulness  out  into  the  starlight 
night  of  the  open  campos,  but  where  the  tracks  arc  so  faintly 
perceptible  in  the  grass,  that  the  guide  loses  loses  all  sense 
of  his  whereabouts  ; fortunately  we  discover  a little  stream 
of  good  water,  and  there  camp  for  the  night. 

We  get  away  with  the  first  lights  of  dawn,  and  traverse  at 
first,  considerable  tracts  of  flat  marshy  land,  then  undulating 
land,  covered  with  cerrado  and  patches  of  forest,  and  at  10 
a.m.  reach  Tranquero,  a small  farm  belonging  to  a Senhor 
Joao  Nogueiro,  whom  I can  recommend  to  all  future  travellers 
on  this  road  as  a genial  good  fellow. 

In  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  this  place  arc  con- 
siderable indications  of  copper,  and  the  metal  has  been  found 
in  its  native  state,  a rich  specimen  of  which  Senhor  Joao 
.showed  me  and  kindly  allowed  me  to  keep.  He  had  taken 
it,  he  told  me,  from  a ridge  of  rocks  cropping  out  of  the 
surface  of  the  ground  about  two  miles  away,  for  several 
miles  around  the  land  is  of  a very  rocky  character,  chiefly 
ferruginous  materials. 

Our  stock  of  corn  being  exhausted,  we  have  to  wait  while 
Senhor  Joao  sends  to  his  roca  to  fetch  some  ; but  good  fellow 
as  he  undoubtedly  is,  it  is  past  two  o’clock  before  it  arrives. 
It  is  an  unfortunate  thing  for  any  traveller  to  be  dependent 
on  these  country-people  for  any  service,  for  time  is  so  little 
appreciated  by  them,  that  to-morrow  is  just  as  good  as  to-day  ; 
even  in  answer  to  my  requests  to  hasten  the  production  of 
the  corn,  Senhor  Joao  mildly  replies,  “ Have  patience,  friend, 
you  can  go  on  to-morrow,  if  not  to-day.” 

At  3 p.m.  we  finally  get  away  and  proceed  through  a 
very  diversified  country,  alternating  between  sharp-ridged 
hills,  deep  wooded  valleys,  and  long  plains  of  cainpos.  The 
trail  in  many  places  is  execrable,  passing  over  rugged 


246 


Carolina  to  Chapada. 


rocky  roads,  strewn  with  boulders  and  outcrops  of  stone,  or 
through  quagmires,  thickly  covered  with  tangled  bushes, 
through  which  we  have  to  hew  a way  with  knife  and  bill- 
hook, finally  the  day’s  journey  ended  by  traversing  a long 
deep  sandy  flat,  dotted  with  scattered  thickets  of  the  wild- 
orchard-like  cermdo,  hy  the  side  of  one  of  which  we  camped; 
the  ground  was  free  from  underwood,  and  the  trees  were  most 
conveniently  arranged  for  slinging  hammocks. 

This  day’s  journey  was  twenty  miles.  So  far  the  animals 
had  held  out  much  better  than  their  forlorn  appearance 
allowed  me  to  hope  for."*  The  only  one  that  had  failed  was 
the  one  my  man  Bob  had  ridden,  and  he  had  to  walk  in 
consequence. 

May  30. — A gloriously  cool  fre.sh  breeze,  66°  (F.),  awakened 
us  at  early  dawn  and  turned  us  out  briskly  from  the  dew- 
saturated  hammocks.  The  night  dews  of  these  high-lands 
are  very  heavy,  for  in  the  morning  one's  beard  is  as  full  of 
moisture  as  a saturated  sponge ; little  pools  of  water  form  in 
the  hollows  of  the  mackintosh  sheet,  and  the  rugs  and  cover- 
ings are  as  wet  as  though  they  had  been  out  in  the  rain,  and 
on  this  occasion  chilled  feet  and  cold  noses  created  eager 
inquiries  for  hot  coffee. 

The  next  morning  we  traversed  long  flat  .sandy  tracts  and 
belts  of  thick  forest,  in  pa.ssing  through  some  of  the  latter,  where 
the  path  is  so  little  used  and  overgrown,  much  time  was 
consumed  by  the  men  in  cutting  and  hewing  the  thick  ob- 
structing boughs  and  branches  ; eventually  a long  flat  treele.ss 
waterless  .sandy  plain  was  reached,  where  the  hor.ses  sunk  over 
their  fetlocks  in  the  loose  dry  soil,  it  was  hard  laborious  work. 

* It  is,  however,  astonishing  to  see  what  great  loads  these  wretched 
cargo-horses  of  the  north  can  carry,  and  what  great  distances  they  will 
travel.  In  Pernambuco  it  is  a sight  to  see  the  trains  of  country  horses 
arriving,  with  a huge  bale  of  cotton  on  each  side,  many  having  come  200 
to  300  miles  from  the  sertao,  and  yet  to  see  them  one  would  only  imagine 
them  fit  for  the  knacker,  so  bony  and  gaunt  and  spiritless  do  they 
apj)ear. 


A Charming  Camp. 


247 


and  my  man,  who  had  run  a venomous  spine  into  his  foot, 
hobbled  along  with  great  difficulty  and  pain.  I gave  him  a 
lift  on  my  horse  whilst  I walked,  much  to  the  surprise  of  the 
judge,  who  could  neither  understand  my  motive  nor  appreciate 
my  taste.  I walked  half  the  morning’s  journey  of  sixteen 
miles,  and  although  struggling  through  such  heavy  and  hot 
ground  under  a burning  sun  is  not  very  pleasant,  yet  the 
fresh  breeze  that  sweeps  over  these  open  plains,  created  a 
sensation  of  exhilaration  that  made  me  rather  enjoy  the 
walk  than  otherwise. 

These  plains  are  singularly  devoid  of  the  usual  sights  and 
sounds  of  animal  life,  for  the  birds  are  very  few  both  in  variety 
and  number,  and  not  a vestige  of  a quadruped  is  to  be  .seen. 
The  wide  far-extending  plains  are  silent  solitudes,  disturbed 
only  by  the  rustle  of  foliage,  the  gentle  murmurs  of  the  wind, 
and  the  soft  tramp  of  our  animals’  hoofs. 

At  eleven  o’clock  we  reached  the  margins  of  a most 
charming  little  stream,  flowing  through  a shallow  dip  in  the 
plain,  its  banks  are  gently  sloping  bright  green  grass  swards, 
with  here  and  there  a tree  or  a detached  bush,  or  a clump  of 
Pindahibas,  or  other  trees  and  palms,  each  surrounded  by  beds 
of  bright  flowers,  chiefly  arums  and  lilies ; from  the  branches 
of  the  trees  hang  long  festoons  of  passion-flowers  and  con- 
volvuli ; humming-birds  of  several  species  (e.specially  a long 
scissor-tailed  variety)  are  numerous,  and  dart  with  a swift 
flight  from  flower  to  flower,  stopping  instantaneously  to 
dip  their  long  sharp  bills  into  the  convolvulus  cups  as 
calmly  as  though  they  were  seated  on  a perch  instead  of 
being  poised  motionless  in  mid-air  by  the  extremely  rapid 
action  of  their  wings.  Their  brilliant  plumage  gleams  and 
scintillates  in  the  sunshine  with  flashing  rays  of  colour  like 
the  gleams  of  a diamond.  On  the  shaded  margins  of  the  stream, 
amidst  the  grasses  of  the  banks  and  the  moss-covered  boulders, 
are  great  numbers  and  varieties  of  ferns,  that  add  their  grace- 
ful delicate  foliage  to  the  chaims  of  the  scene. 


248 


Carolina  to  Chatada. 


We  had  spread  our  rugs  for  the  morning  picnic  under  the 
grateful  shade  of  a large  tree  standing  alone  on  the  green 
slopes  of  the  stream,  and  noticing  that  it  was  a stranger  to 
my  experiences,  I hacked  off  a piece  of  its  very  thick  hard  cor- 
rugated bark,  and  immediately  a very  volatile  sap  issued  from 
the  gash  and  the  piece  in  my  hand  appeared  saturated  with 
it  as  though  it  had  been  dipped  into  kerosene,  its  odour  was 
very  similar,  and  in  the  fire  it  proved  equally  inflammable.  I 
took  away  several  pieces,  and  some  days  afterwards  the  odour 
had  changed  to  the  delicate  perfume  of  violets.  I could  only 
find  that  the  tree  is  known  as  Meriin^  (an  Indian  diminutive 
term  applied  to  anything,)  although  this  tree  was  anything  but 
small,  for  its  lower  branches  were  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  its  trunk  nearly  five  feet  in  circumference  ; 
its  leaves  were  small  and  pinnated,  and  of  a dark  dull  green 
colour.  The  thermometer  registered  83°  in  the  shade  of  this 
tree. 

At  3.30  we  left  this  very  pretty  camp,  and  travelled  till 
6.30,  again  across  long  sandy  plains,  lying  between  the  wooded 
valleys  of  streams  flowing  to  the  west  towards  the  Rio  Tocan- 
tins. Soon  after  leaving  we  sighted  ahead  of  us,  the  ridges  of  the 
Serra  da  Cinta,  the  most  important  watershed  of  Maranhao. 

The  journey  terminated  near  the  foot  of  the  Serra  at  the 
Fazenda  da  Cinta,  the  abode  of  three  families  living  in  so 
many  palm-frond  houses.  There  the  judge  was  amongst 
friends,  who  were  evidently  gratified  to  receive  under  their 
roof  so  important  a personage  as  a juiz  de  direito. 

There  is  one  great  advantage  in  travelling  with  such  a 
muito  distiucto  pessoa  (very  distinguished  person),  for  he  is  such 
a focus  of  attraction  that  the  pa.ssing  cstmngeiro  is  compara- 
tiv'ely  unnoticed,  and  consequently  I am  saved  a load  of  weary 

® This  tree  may  possibly  be  the  sapucaittha  {Cotpoirochc  brasiliensis), 
which  gives  an  excellent  oil  of  a peculiar  and  very  agreeable  odour,  and 
which  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  sapucainha  {Maittca  brasiliensis 
of  Velloso). 


The  Serra  de  Cixta. 


249 


talkce  and  left  in  peace,  as  the  Doutor  replies  to  the  usual 
impertinent  inquiries  as  to  my  business,  &c.,  especially  the 
never-failing  Quanto  gmiha  f (how  much  docs  he  earn  ?). 

'In  front  of  the  fazenda,  the  serra  trends  away  in  a W.N.W. 
direction  towards  Sta.  Thereza  on  the  Tocantins,  (a  three 
days’  journey,)  in  a series  of  rounded  elevations,  with  occa- 
sional peaks  of  apparently  sandstone  rocks,  with  rugged, 
scarped  sides,  or  long  slopes  covered  with  tall  rank  brown 
grass  and  little  bush  ; in  the  ravines  and  hollows  thick  woods 
extend  far  up  towards  the  ridges. 

I calculated  that  the  highest  elevation  is  not  more  than 
500  feet  above  the  fazenda,  that  my  aneroid  indicated  to  be 
862  feet  above  the  level  of  Carolina,  and  1400  feet  above  the 
sca-lcvcl. 

On  the  road  that  afternoon  the  judge’s  horse  had  broken 
down,  when  its  rider  took  possession  of  the  horse  of  his  cania- 
rada,  who  then  had  to  join  my  man  Bob  in  hatendo  a arcia 
(beating  the  sand,  i.c.  walking).  A fine  .spirited  little  hor.se 
was  lent  to  the  judge  by  his  friends.  I also  sought  for  one 
for  my  man,  but  without  succc.ss. 

Monday,  May  3 1 . — A fairly  early  start  was  made  at  6.30,  on  a 
bright  clear  cool  morning,  and  shortly  afterwards  we  were 
.scrambling  amidst  the  hills  of  the  serra,  by  breakneck  paths 
that  wind  around  steep  gras.sy  slopes  strewn  with  boulders, 
large  and  small  (mostly  of  a coarse  .semi-decompo.scd  grit, 
much  stained  with  iron  oxides),  and  deep  chasms  border  the 
narrow  way.  On  one  of  these  dangerous  paths  a horse 
slipped,  and  down  the  steep  slope  he  went,  head  over  heels, 
the  fastening  of  his  pack  broke,  and  away  that  went  also. 
Fortunately,  some  trees  and  bushes  stopped  them  before  they 
had  gone  far,  and  after  very  considerable  trouble  both 
were  hauled  up  to  the  path  again,  the  horse  quivering  with 
fright,  but  beyond  a few  knocks  he  did  not  appear  much  hurt. 
The  stiff  climbs  and  rough  roads  now  began  to  tell  upon 
the  animals,  and  several  sunk  down  exhausted,  and  laid  with 


250 


Carolina  to  Ciiapada. 


panting  sides  and  heaving  nostrils,  and  only  by  means  of 
many  long  rests  could  we  get  them  along. 

From  the  summit  of  the  range  there  is  an  immense  view  to 
the  north,  over  land  mainly  consisting  of  long  sandy  plains 
and  undulating  hills  covered  with  cerrado,  and  deep  wooded 
valleys. 

The  de.scent  is  much  greater  than  the  ascent,  for  the  land 
on  the  north  side  is  much  lower  than  that  we  have  left 
behind.  The  serra  evidently  acts  as  a huge  retaining  wall  to 
that  high  plateau,  and  has  prevented  denudation  to  the 


Crosbing  the  Serra  da  Cinta. 


c.xtent  of  that  of  the  north  side, 
where  the  fall  of  the  waters  is 
greater,  and  has  made  the  valleys 
narrow  and  deeply  furrowed. 

On  reaching  this  low  land  the  aneroid  showed  a ditTerence 
of  about  500  feet  between  the  average  levels  of  the  two 
plateaux,  giving  the  serra  an  approximate  altitude  of  lOCX) 
feet  above  its  northern,  and  500  above  its  .southern  base. 

Many  of  its  spurs  could  be  .seen  stretching  away  for  many 
miles  in  the  form  of  ridges,  winding  in  and  out  according  to 
the  sinuosities  of  their  vallcj’s,  all  trending  to  the  east,  and 


Misery  of  Travelling  with  Poor  AmmaI.s.  251 


in  places  intersecting  our  direction,  and  will  yet  give  us 
many  a scramble.  As  we  descended,  the  slopes  became  more 
rugged,  in  many  places  showing  faces  of  variously  coloured 
earths  and  rocks,  reds,  yellows  and  dark  purples. 

On  the  way  the  men  killed  a rattlesnake,  5 feet  3 inches 
in  length.  Its  rattle  of  eight  rings,  was  added  to  my  other 
trophies. 

On  arriving  at  the  lower  plateau,  after  a little  breather 
for  the  weary  panting  animals,  we  proceeded  slowly  over 
heavy  roads  deep  in  sand,  until  11.30,  when  we  reached  a 
vaqueiros  rancho  called  Sao  Jose,  twelve  miles  from  Cinta. 
The  march  had  been  exceptionally  slow  and  tedious,  and  we 
formed  a long  and  widely-scattered  party,  for  several  of  the 
horses  had  broken  down,  and  even  after  their  loads  were 
shifted  to  the  saddle-horses  of  the  men,  (who  now  all  marched 
on  foot,)  they  wearily  lagged  behind.  A day’s  journey  in 
Brazil  with  a good  troop  of  mules,  is,  at  the  best  of  times,  but 
a long  wearisome  ride  even  when  all  goes  well,  for  one’s  limbs 
become  stiff  and  cramped,  the  hot  sun  dries  and  parches  the 
skin,  the  head  aches,  and  the  body  is  tired;  it  is,  however, 
doubly  so  when  the  animals  are  tired  and  done  up  and 
require  incessant  urging  onwards,  and  it  is  painful  to  witness 
the  efforts  of  the  poor  beasts  struggling  against  their  failing 
strength,  the  perspiration  streaming  down  their  flanks,  their 
parched  tongues  hanging  out,  their  glaring  eyes  forcibly  ex- 
pressing their  agonies. 

I tried  again  at  S.  Jose  to  get  an  exchange  of  animals  at  any 
cost,  but  again  met  with  non-success. 

After  a long  rest,  we  departed  in  the  afternoon,  and  went  on 
pretty  well  until  the  latter  part,  when  one  of  the  last  of  the  far- 
stretching  spurs  of  the  Serra  da  Cinta  had  to  be  crossed,  a 
rough  steep  rocky  road,  that  was  the  last  straw  to  the  animals, 
for,  with  the  exception  of  the  judge’s  horse,  that  was  young 
and  fresh,  they  repeatedly  laid  down,  after  stumbling  and 
falling,  one  after  the  other,  through  sheer  inability  to  do  more, 


252 


Carolina  to  Chapada. 


It  was  only  by  continually  taking  off  their  packs  and  resting 
them,  and  going  on  little  by  little,  that  we  were  at  last,  after  a 
most  wearying  time,  finally  enabled  to  reach  the  foot  of  the 
descent  just  as  the  sun  set,  and  where  fortunately,  was  a stream 
of  water  in  an  open  campos.  I had  had  to  walk  the  last  few 
miles,  and  the  rugged  road,  and  stiff  climb,  and  hot  sun,  made 
me  welcome  the  camp  as  much  as  the  animals. 

A fine  cool  night,  with  the  thermometer  at  64°,  and  a well- 
earned  night’s  repose,  refreshed  man  and  beast.  My  horse, 
that  was  not  so  much  done  up  as  some  of  the  pack-hor.se.s,  had 
then  to  take  a turn  at  carrying  a cargo,  that  otherwise  must 
have  been  left  behind,  and  all  started  on  foot,  excepting  the 
judge,  who  was  good  enough  to  offer  me  his  horse  and  take 
his  turn  at  batendo  a areia,  but  a Brazilian  gentleman  on  foot 
in  the  country  would  feel  as  comfortable  as  a fish  out  of  water, 
and  as  I was  in  excellent  training,  and  could  well  support  the 
fatigue  of  walking,  I did  not  accept  his  offer. 

Soon  after  leaving  camp  the  track  entered  a palm  forest,  as 
different  to  the  forests  of  more  southern  latitudes  as  tho.se  arc 
to  an  European  wood.  I confe.ss,  that  then  I had  had  such  a 
surfeit  of  the  beauties  of  the  Brazilian  flora,  that  I felt  little 
dispo.scd  to  appreciate  the  charms  of  these  c.s.sentially  tropical 
forms  of  vegetation,  yet  a traveller  must  be  callous  indeed  to 
fail  to  notice  the  wondrous  delicacy  of  such  growths,  for  there 
seemed  to  be  there  collected,  all  that  was  graceful  in  the 
vegetable  world  : there  were  dwarfed  ground-palms  like  the 
Ubussub'  growing  in  form  like  a clump  of  huge  ostrich-feathers, 
tall  palms,  with  soft  feathery  leaves  like  the  Jupati‘‘  or  the 
spiny  trunk  and  purple  fruit  clusters  of  the  Maraja^  palms 
with  drooping  follicles  like  the  Inaja^  palms  with  smooth 
stems,  palms  with  spiny  stems,  tall  and  short  tree  ferns,  and 
ferns  of  many  other  varieties,  and  scattered  about  were  here 
and  there  large  trees  of  various  species,  the  huge  buttressed 

•’  Afanicariii  saccifera.  ' Rtiphia  tedigem. 

'I  Jhictris  maraja.  ’ Maxi  mi  liana  regia. 


A Palm  Forest. 


253 


gammeleira^  the  bulging  barrigiulo,^  the  tall  straight  yellow 
trunk  of  the  Moleque,  and  the  light-green  small  feathery 
foliaged  mimosas ; each  tree-trunk  spotted  with  lichens^ 
pearly  grey  or  brilliant  crimson,  and  bearing  a wealth  of 
parasites  (chiefly  blue-banded  bromelias,  and  the  pendent  barba 
veUta),  and  ferns  and  mosses,  little  gardens  in  themselves  ; 
many  shrubs  of  Myrtacece  order  helped  to  fill  up  the  spaces 
between  the  trees  ; the  vines,  some  in  leaf,  some  in  flower,  some 
like  the  cordage  of  a ship,  swung  their  graceful  lines  from  tree 
to  tree,  or  hung  in  long  straight  lines.  The  vegetation  was 
not  by  any  means  dense  and  compact,  like  the  forest  of  the 
Amazon’s,  for  the  sun’s  rays  freely  streamed  into  the  open 
glades  between  the  larger  trees,  and  enabled  the  sunlight  to 
fleck  the  glistening  polished  palm-leaves  with  its  golden  light^ 
in  beautiful  contrast  to  the  parts  in  shade.  Many  birds 
frequent  these  lovely  dells,  gorgeous  in  colour  and  in  harmony 
with  such  .scenes.  There  were  the  crimson  and  the  blue  and 
gold  araras,  green  parrots,  brilliant  humming-birds,  long 
yellow-beaked  and  purple  and  white-bodied  toucans,  chattering 
blue-green  parroquets,  red-headed  woodpeckers  tapping  the 
trees  with  quick  sharp  taps  in  pursuit  of  grubs  and  insects, 
and  the  nests  of  the  Japim  birds  ® hung  suspended  in  clusters  of 
woven  twigs.  On  the  ground,  large  blue  and  green  cameleoes* 
(lizards)  startle  one  with  their  rustle  as  they  run  over  the  dry 
leaves,  making  one  prepare  for  a possible  snake  ; and  one  does 
not  fail  to  appear,  a glistening  vermilion  purple  and  cream 
coral  snake,  that  gleams  so  brilliantly  that  there  is  nothing  in 
nature  to  compare  with  it  when  a ray  of  sunlight  falls  upon  the 
wonderfully  soft  yet  metallic  sheen  of  its  colours.  The  wood, 
about  four  miles  in  extent,  fills  a low  flat  hollow  between 
higher  grass-lands,  on  to  which  we  eventually  emerged,  a long 
deep  sandy  campos  of  scattered  tufts  of  thin  wiry  grass. 
Two  miles  of  soft  sand  brought  us  to  another  herdsman’s 


* Urostigma  doliaria. 

^ Cassicus  icteronotus. 


" Echyies,  sp. 

^ Agama  picta. 


254 


Carolina  to  Chapada. 


rancho^  called  Fazendinha,  where  I yet  failed  to  get  fresh 
animals.’  We  pushed  on  again,  and  after  traversing  more  sandy 
flats  and  belts  of  woods  bordering  the  streams,  all  flowing  into 
the  Rio  Grajahu  to  the  east,  we  reached  a picturesque  stream 
near  a considerable  hill,  called  Morro  do  Frade,  a huge  square 
mass  of  dark  variously-coloured  rock,  resembling  a huge  plum 
cake  in  appearance;  its  sides  are  precipitous  and  devoid  of  vege- 
tation, its  evidently  once  flat  top  is  worn  into  irregular  points, 
pinnacles  and  ridges,  and  green  with  vegetation,  the  character 
of  which  the  distance  would  not  allow  me  to  distinguish.  I had 
walked  fifteen  miles  before  we  sat  down  to  breakfast,  (as  usual 
at  mid-day,)  and  I confess  that  I felt  a longing  to  send  for  a 
hansom  to  do  the  rest.  Fortunately,  in  the  afternoon  the 
animals  recovered  a little,  and  my  Rozinante  gave  me  a lift  for  a 
few  miles,  until  he  again  broke  down,  and  I had  to  foot  it  again. 
At  6 p.m.  we  reached  a group  of  three  houses  with  zneiigenho 
(mill-house)  and  outbuildings,  all  partly  hidden  amidst  a 
tangle  of  trees  and  bush,  known  as  Imbeira-assu.  Voices  were 
heard  on  our  approach,  then  women  were  seen  hurrying  in- 
doors. On  our  arrival  all  doors  and  windows  were  clo.sed,  and 
no  answer  was  made  to  our  calls,  so  without  further  ceremony 
we  took  po.sscssion  of  the  mill-house  for  the  night’s  quarters. 

The  night  proved  much  warmer  than  usual,  76°,  and  we 
were  much  disturbed  by  the  squealing  of  inquisitive  pigs, 
pounced  upon  and  worried  by  Feroz,  and  my  old  enemies, 
the  mosquitos,  also  played  a high-pitched  concert,  and  pricked 
and  stung  us  freely,  but  I was  soon  oblivious  to  all  torments, 
for  I was  thoroughly  tired  out  with  my  day’s  walk. 

June  2. — My  companion  rode  away  early  in  the  morning 
to  see  if  he  could  procure  another  horse  for  me  at  some  houses 
further  on  ; then  the  male  inhabitants  of  Imbeira-a.ssu  at 
last  shyly  approached  and  had  a good  stare  at  us,  but  they 

Although  we  had  , passed  cattle-farms,  we  had  rarely  sighted  any 
cattle  on  the  way,  for  the  grazing-grounds  are  often  many  miles 
away. 


A Tiring  Tkami’. 


-55 

either  could  not,  or  would  not,  understand  me,  replying  either 
with  an  interrogative  grunt  or  a Nno  entendo  n'hor  nCto,  to  my 
expressed  desires  to  purchase  a horse,  or  vegetables,  or  fruits, 
or  milk.  The  female  portion  we  only  saw  at  a distance, 
peeping  at  us  from  behind  half-closed  doors  and  window- 
shutters.  The  whole  place,  that  might  so  easily  have  been 
made  beautiful,  was  dingy  dirty  and  dilapidated,  and  I was 
glad  to  get  away  from  it. 

We  rnarched  fourteen  miles,  nearly  all  the  way  over  sandy 
plains,  with  a few  small  streams  crossing  the  route  ; now  that 
the  judge  was  away,  his  men  grumbled  loud  and  frequently 
at  his  viagem  braba  (forced  march',  and  commenced  to  vent 
their  anger  by  thwacking  the  poor  animals.  I happened  to  be 
behind  one  of  the  boys  when  he  cruelly  thrust  a pointed  stick 
into  the  nostrils  of  a horse  ; he  was  considerably  astonished  to 
receive  a smart  blow  of  my  staff  across  his  shoulders,  and  an 
information  that  it  would  be  repeated  if  he  again  tortured  the 
animals.  It  was  evidently  beyond  his  comprehension  why 
he  was  thrashed,  he  sulked  for  awhile,  but  a few  sharp  ad- 
monitions made  him  civil,  much  more  so  than  he  had 
been  at  any  time,  even  the  grumblings  ceased  when  I was 
near.® 

At  Brejao  I found  the  judge  waiting  for  me,  and,  “()  ! be 
joyful,”  he  had  obtained  a fresh  animal  for  me.  I had  had 
quite  enough  of  batendo  a arcia.  Fourteen  miles  does  not 
seem  much  of  a walk,  but  it  is  quite  enough  before  break- 
fast over  those  hot  sandy  plains  of  Maranhao,  but  if  any  one 
wishes  to  taste  delicious  nectar,  let  him  there  walk  a few  miles, 
sinking  into  the  hot  sand  at  every  stride,  the  clothes  saturated 
with  perspiration,  the  limbs  stiff  and  aching,  the  mouth  dry 

6 A great  deal  of  judgment  is  required  by  the  traveller  in  Brazil  in 
dealing  with  the  country-people.  Justice  and  firmness  is  usually  all  that 
is  necessary,  and  harsh  measures  are  at  best  dangerous,  and  the  traveller 
will  risk  a knifing  ; but  some  characters,  like  mules  and  dogs,  are  better 
for  a thrashing,  and  think  all  the  better  of  their  patrao. 


256 


Carolina  to  Ciiapada. 


and  parched,  and  then  arrive  at  a little  stream  of  crystal  water 
bubbling  over  rocks,  through  banks  of  flowers  and  ferns  and 
grasses,  and  lay  himself  down  and  drink  and  drink  the  delicious 
grateful  fluid  ; for  when  one  is  really  thirsty,  all  fluids  will  be 
refused  for  Nature’s  natural  assuager  of  thirst. 

From  Brejao  the  land  changes  considerably,  the  previous 
long  .sandy  tracts  giving  place  to  a more  gravelly  soil,  covered 
with  dwarf  trees  and  shrubs,  the  latter  chiefly  consisting  of 
the  order  of  Myrtacece.  The  ground  is  fairly  level,  but  inter- 
sected by  very  deep  valleys,  difiicult  of  descent  and  ascent, 
with  little  turbulent  streams  in  their  bottoms.  We  reached  at 
nightfall,  Cai9ara,  a palm-frond  hut,  where  we  obtained  the 
luxury  of  fresh  beef  at  the  price  of  eighty  reis  per  pound, 
(about  twopence).  Like  Embira-assu,  the  place  was  repulsive 
in  its  squalor  and  dirt.  The  judge  elected  to  sleep  in  the 
house,  but  I preferred  the  fresh  open  air  to  the  combined 
smells  of  fre.shly-slaughtered  meat  and  various  other  odours, 
generated  by  refuse  and  the  rubbish  of  the  interior  of  the  hut. 
At  sunrise  the  thermometer  indicated  72°. 

Jiuie  3. — Being  now  within  twenty  miles  of  Chapada,  the 
Doutor  and  I decided  to  go  on  together,  and  leave  our  men 
to  bring  on  the  baggage  and  animals  at  their  leisure.  The 
sharper  pace  we  travelled  at,  was  a welcome  change  to  the  slow 
walk  at  which  we  had  made  the  journey  hitherto,  and  de- 
cidedly preferable  to  “ footing  it.”  A few  miles  out  we  pa.ssed 
the  Riberao  de  Ju9ara,  where  again  are  indications  of  copper, 
in  the  appearance  of  the  rocks  that  crop  out  in  many  places 
in  the  form  of  dykes.  The  bed  and  banks  of  the  Riberao  are 
composed  entirely  of  dark  green  rocks,  of  a fine  close  grain 
like  basalt ; these  rocks  extend  all  the  way  to  Chapada.  The 
land  is  everywhere  covered  with  cerrado  and  scrub,  and  the 
valleys  are  narrow  and  very  deep.  After  a short  halt  for 
breakfast  in  a picturesque  glade  on  a soft  sward  under  the 
shade  of  a large  Carahyba  tree,  and  a dip  in  the  pellucid 
waters  of  a stream,  we  pushed  on  again,  and  soon  after  mid-day 


Arrival  at  Ciiapada. 


257 


we  reached  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grajahu,  and  descended  200 
feet  or  more,  by  a precipitous  path,  to  the  village  of  Trezedellas, 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  and  immediately  opposite 
the  villa  (town)  of  Chapada,  1S8  miles,  I estimated,  from 
Carolina. 

We  crossed  the  river  in  a montaria  ^ and  the  water  was 
sufficiently  shallow  to  allow  the  animals  to  wade  across  ; the 
bed  and  banks  are  dark  green  rock,  the  soil  of  the  higher  ground 
is  red  clay,  and  gravel  with  outcrops  of  stone,  and  the  surface 
is  sand  and  gravel. 

Chapada  is  somewhat  like  the  city  of  Bahia  in  one  respect, 
in  having  a lower  and  an  upper  town.  The  first  consists  of 


The  “ pra<ja  ” of  the  town  of  Chapada.  * 

a street  along  the  banks,  parallel  to  the  course  of  the  river.  A 
long  straggling  ascent  up  a very  steep  incline,  freely  obstructed 
by  outcrops  of  rock  and  deep  holes,  brings  us  to  the  main 
portion  of  the  town,  built  upon  a high  far-extending  flat 
plateau,  sparsely  covered  with  a scrubby  vegetation  and  a dry 
gravelly  soil.  There  is  a square  with  detached  houses  around 
it,  and  the  conventional  old  unfinished  church,  with  scaffolding 
that  has  been  there  for  years,  so  peculiar  to  all  these  northern 

' A small  canoe-shaped  boat. 


VOL.  II. 


S 


258 


Carolina  to  Chapada. 


towns  and  villages.  Many  of  the  houses  look  comfortable 
and  pretentious  (at  least  from  a national  point  of  view),  gaudily 
painted  in  distemper,  green,  blue,  chocolate,  yellow,  red, 
white,  utterly  regardless  of  combination  or  harmony  of  colours; 
the  windows  are  latticed,  and  the  tiled  roofs  project  in  wide 
eaves,  forming  almost  verandahs  over  the  brick  trottoirs  in  front. 
Branching  away  from  the  square  are  several  irregular  streets 
of  houses,  some  in  rows,  some  detached  and  divided  from 
each  other  by  their  hortas  (gardens)  of  fruit-trees.  There 
are  several  vendas,  general  stores,  and  open  sheds  of  smithies, 
tinmen,  carpenters,  masons,  &c.  There  is  more  life  and 
movement  than  in  Carolina,  but  even  so  it  is  not  much.  The 
streets  are  heavy  with  a soft  deep  sand  that  rises  in  clouds 
with  every  puff  of  wind,  or  are  overgrown  with  grass  and  bushes 
where  the  soil  is  firmer,  or  almost  like  a rough  rocky  stone 
staircase,  like  the  ascent  from  the  riverside ; the  sun  pours  down 
its  fierce  rays  on  the  shadeless  streets,  and  all  who  can,  keep 
within  doors  and  doze  in  their  hammocks. 

My  companion  invited  me  to  the  house  of  his  friend,  col- 
league, and  college  chum.  Dr.  Candido  Pereira  Lemos,  the  Juiz 
de  Direito  of  the  Comarca  of  Chapada.® 

® This  word  signifies  a wide  flat,  and  hence  the  name  of  this  town  on 
the  borders  of  the  table-land. 


259 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FROM  CIIAPADA,  DOWN  THE  RIO  GRAJAHU,  TO  VICTORIA 
ON  THE  RIO  MEARIM. 

A pleasant  family — Chapada  children — A rich  copper  region — The 
sessions  at  Chapada — Trade — A white  Indian — We  charter  an 
igaritc — A grand  departure  from  Chapada — Our  new  craft  and  its 
crew — The  river  Grajahu  and  its  beauties — A camp  by  the  forest — 
Howling  monkeys — A quiet  solitude — Mosquitos  again — Animal  life 
of  the  river-side — A mountain  of  whetstones — A hill  of  satin  spar — A 
foul  place — A night  voyage — Snags — Buried  alive — A night  of  torment 
— Botes  of  the  river — In  the  forest — Ferocious  fish ; the  piranhas — 
A race — A tortuous  river — Morro  do  Oratorio — Fishing — Vegetation 
of  the  shores — Gammella  Indians — First  habitations  since  leaving 
Chapada — Hidden  beauties — Pium  sand-flies — Snags — An  Indian 
anecdote — An  exchange  of  compliments — The  effect  of  a revolver — 
A morning  mist — Torments  of  sand-flies — A day’s  journey  to  gain 
600  yards — A useful  parasite — An  evening  scene — A collision  with 
a snag — Boarded  by  fire-ants — Amidst  the  bush  in  the  darkness — A 
perfect  inferno — Continual  torments — The  Director  of  Indians  — 
Valuable  natural  productions  of  the  forest — Indian  village — Sobradin- 
ho  and  its  tenants — A landslip — Itambeira  Indians — Fever  appears — 
A grand  forest — Brown  river- water — Untiring  paddlers — An  alligator 
and  the  Piranhas — A Penelope — A lost  dinner — A dense  bush— An 
Indian  alarm — A noisy  night  with  frogs — Dangers  of  a sleep  on  a 
sand-bank — Mournful  tokens — The  deadly  climate  of  the  river  in 
certain  seasons — More  copper  indications — A grand  copper  region — 
Ingativas — A diver  bird — A farm  abandoned  through  mosquitos — A 
long  day’s  work — Asleep  in  a cattle-trough — Aweary  night — Inhabited 
lands — Brilliant  distinctness  of  tropical  scenery — An  industrious 
couple — A capoeira  depahnerias — A haunted  lake — The  submerged 
lands  of  the  mouth  of  the  Grajahu — A steaming-hot  locality — On 
the  Rio  Mearim — No  land  to  camp  on— A slow  and  fatiguing  journey 
— Arrive  at  Victoria — Rough  quarters. 

S 2 


260 


On  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 


I PASSED  three  days  with  Dr. 
Candido  and  his  family,  pend- 
ing the  preparations  for  the 
voyage  down  the  Rio  Grajahu. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  all 
the  principal  inhabitants  called 
to  visit  my  fellow-traveller. 
The  visits  were  conducted 
with  much  ceremony  and  bow'- 
ing  on  either  side,  and  ex- 
changes of  fulsome  and  mean- 
ingless compliments,  but  apart 
from  their  love  of  form,  (that 
soon  disappears  after  the  ice 
of  introduction  has  thawed,)  many  of  the  farmers  and  traders 
are  bluff  active  fellows,  and  had  they  not  been  so  long 
habituated  to  such  indolent  habits  and  conservative  customs 
as  exists  amongst  them,  they  would  doubtless  be  a more 
practical  people.  One  of  them,  a Capitao  Antonio  Jose  dos 
Mattos,  brought  me  samples  of  native  copper  and  plumbago, 
found  in  an  outcrop  of  rocks  some  four  miles  away,  and 
as  he  pressed  me  very  much  to  go  and  see  the  place,  I went 
with  him  to  it. 

The  district  is  extremely  stony,  and  rocks  appear  above 
the  soil  in  all  directions.  Where  the  samples  of  native 
copper  were  obtained  was  in  a reef  of  rocks  that  runs  N.E. 
and  S.W.  ; its  course  could  be  traced  for  several  hundred 
yards,  and  in  several  places  I secured  good  c.xamples  of  cop- 
per, both  in  a native  state  and  in  other  forms.  The  plumbago 
is  in  another  district  to  the  east,  that  I did  not  go  to  see. 

Being  pressed  by  several  of  the  inhabitants  to  pay  them  a 
visit,  I proceed  upon  a round  of  calls.  The  men  arc  full  of 
gossip,  and  eager  to  know  all  about  me,  my  salary  being  the 
never-failing  topic  of  interest.  The  elder  women  folk  arc 
garrulous  old  dames,  always  considerably  cn  dJsliabilh',  the 


Manoel  the  pilot. 


CiiAPADA  Children. 


261 


younger  mothers  are  sickly  and  weary  with  the  cares  of  house- 
hold and  a nearly  always  numerous  progeny.  The  girls  are 
seldom  pretty  (except  when  very  young),  and  although  a 
flower  often  decorates  their  black  hair,  they  are  as  untidy  and 
as  slipshod  as  their  mothers  and  aunts.  But  the  children, 
especially  the  little  ones,  were  my  horror ; even  in  the  more 
well-to-do  families  they  are  sallow  wizened  and  endowed 
with  prominent  “corporations,”  nearly  always  naked,  and 
often  infested,  like  their  mothers,  with  the  “ pulex  capital,” 
and  thoroughly  grubby ; their  little  cheeks  show  contoured 
layers  of  grime,  where  the  hourly  tide  of  tears  has  washed  the 
soil  into  successive  ridges.  They  are  horribly  spoiled,  squall 
at  the  slightest  provocation,  and  bite,  scratch,  and  even  swear 
at  the  patient  blacks  who  attend  them.  Even  when  their  howls 
prohibit  all  conversation,  the  mother  only  mildly  protests  by 
saying,  “ At  ! Meo  Deos  ! O que  menino  ! Nao  fac^ci  isto,  meo  ban. 
Nao  c/iora,  bansinho.  Ah  ! Meo  Deos ! " (What  a child  ! Don’t 
do  that,  my  dear.  Don’t  cry,  my  darling).  Observations  that 
of  course  only  result  in  redoubled  noise,  when  the  child  is 
carried  away  screaming,  kicking,  and  biting.  At  sight  of  me 
some  will  howl  at  once,  others  will  advance  in  quite  a friendly 
way  and  smear  me  with  hands  sticky  and  odorous,  and 
swarm  up  my  knees  and  there  seat  their  little  naked  selves, 
looking  more  fit  to  be  picked  up  with  a pair  of  tongs  and 
dropped  into  a congenial  pig-sty.  Certainly  they  are  not 
what  are  considered  kissable  children. 

The  sessions  were  then  on,  and  the  local  judge  left  us  every 
morning  at  eleven  o’clock,  in  his  war-paint  of  black  frock-coat, 
top  hat,  patent  leather  shoes,  and  umbrella  (the  thermometer 
at  88°),  to  descend  to  the  lower  town,  where  the  trials  were 
held  in  a little  crowded  room  of  a small  door  and  window 
house.  All  the  cases  were  for  cutting  and  wounding,  with 
generally  fatal  terminations  ; women,  cards  and  cachaq^a  being 
the  primary  causes  of  the  troubles ; and  however  great  or 
horrible  the  crime  may  be,  the  criminal  never  suffers  capital 


262  On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 

punishment,  but  is  sentenced  to  the  “galleys”  for  life,  or  a 
number  of  years,  that  may  be  either  in  the  convict  settlement 
of  Fernando  de  Noronha,  or  the  provincial  gaol,  or  even  the 
local  lock-up.  The  judge  departs  with  much  groaning  and 
sighing,  as  though  he  is  the  most  overworked  being,  and 
returns  about  2 p.m.,  faint  and  exhausted  with  his  labours. 
Every  evening  the  town  band  marches  up  the  hill  and 
serenades  my  fellow-traveller.  It  consists  of  two  cornets, 
a trombone,  a fife,  two  violins,  and  a big  drum  ; the  big  drum 
and  the  trombone  are  especially  effective,  the  other  instruments 
are  “nowhere.”  The  compliment  would  not  be  complete 
without  a few  rockets,  which  are  duly  set  off  at  intervals. 

Chapada  (in  former  times,  like  Carolina,  an  Indian  vil- 
lage) has  a population  of  more  or  less  1500  inhabitants. 
It  is  difficult  to  obtain  any  reliable  information  on  this  point, 
as  no  census  is  kept  or  made,  I can  only  estimate  by  the 
number  of  houses.  A considerable  trade  is  carried  on  with 
the  interior,  both  in  export  and  import,  for  there  is  uninter- 
rupted navigation  from  hence  to  the  coast.  Salt,  hardware, 
cotton  goods,  guns,  powder  and  shot,  are  the  chief  items  of 
import,  and  hides,  dried  beef,  sarsaparilla,  balsam  of  copaiba, 
tobacco,  piassaba,*  and  cachaqa,  those  of  export.  No  statistics 
whatever  were  obtainable  as  to  the  quantities,  and  although 
these  are  doubtless  considerable  for  a little  town  like  Chapada, 
the  traffic  would  not  recompense  any  costly  outlay  in 
improving  the  route,  neither  do  I see  in  the  absence  of 
immigration  any  reason  to  hope  for  any  perceptible 
immediate  improvement.  There  is  a railway  proposed  to  be 
built  from  Barra  da  Corda  to  Carolina,  that  under  present 
conditions  of  traffic  is  really  childish.  It  would  be  expensive 
to  build,  and  considerable  sums  would  have  to  be  yearly 
expended  to  work  it.  Barra  da  Corda  is  a small  town  on  the 
Rio  Mcarim,  about  70  miles  to  the  East  of  Chapada.  The 
river  is  navigable,  and  steamers  run  up  as  far  as  Barra  da  Corda 
‘ Altalcafiinifera, 


A WlIlTK  Lndian. 


263 


from  the  city  of  Maranhiio.  Unfortunately,  I only  found  out 
this  fact  after  I had  left  Chapada,  otherwise  I would  have 
avoided  the  unpleasant  journey  down  the  Grajahu  by  going 
on  to  Barra  da  Corda. 

At  Dr.  Candido’s  house  I noticed  a female  servant,  slatternly 
as  might  be  expected,  in  contrast  to  whom,  a London  lodging- 
house  general  servant  in  the  early  stage  of  her  day’s  work, 
would  appear  neat  and  clean.  This  particular  woman  being 
practically  white,  with  long  straight  brown  hair  and  grey 
eyes,  yet  with  an  undoubtedly  flat  Indian  face,  made  me 
inquire  whence  she  came  ; I was  informed  that  she  was  a 
pure  Indian,  of  a race  known  as  the  Indios  Brancos,  from  the 
lower  Tocantins.  I saw  also  a fine  athletic  young  fellow, 
but  a little  darker  than  many  Spaniards,  a Guajajara  Indian 
from  the  Rio  Pinard  Although  both  man  and  woman, 
especially  the  woman,  might  well  pass  in  Brazil  for  “white 
folks,’’  if  only  their  colour  was  considered,  yet  both  had  the 
unmistakable  chief  Indian  characteristics.  The  large  head 
with  high  cheek-bones,  and  wide  flat  face,  small  eyes,  small 
nose,  and  prominent  yet  not  thick  lips,  small  chin  and  narrow 
forehead,  short  neck,  broad  deep  chest,  long  arms,  small  hips, 
Imnds  and  feet,  and  short  stature.* 

I received  a visit  one  day  from  a young  man,  who  on  learning 
that  I was  an  “ engenheiro,"  came  to  request  me  to  be  so 
good  as  to  make  his  watch  go.  He  seemed  surprised  when  I 
told  him  I did  not  understand  the  repairs  of  a watch,  but 
seeing  that  his  Geneva  was  apparently  only  very  dirty,  I 
recommended  him  to  “ boil  ’’  it,  as  I had  heard  that  had 
proved  efficacious.  He  promised  to  try  the  experiment. 

* The  Baccahiris  Indians,  who  formerly  inhabited  the  region  of  the  Rio 
dos  Mortes,  in  the  province  of  Matto  Grosso,  were  said  to  be  of  a white 
complexion,  and  a branch  of  the  Paracis,  the  chief  Indian  race  of  Matto 
Grosso.  Henderson  mentions  in  his  work,  the  Manajos,  or  white  Indians 
of  Maranhao,  as  inhabiting  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Tocantins,  below 
the  Rio  Araguaya.  This  race  is  also  known  by  the  name  of  Anambeios. 


264 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


We  succeeded  in  chartering  an  igarite,  with  the  services  of 
a pilot  and  three  paddlers.  The  boat  had  been  offered  to  us, 
placed  at  our  service  in  fact,  by  one  of  the  most  affectionate  of 
my  companion’s  very  loving  friends,  who  charged  us  just 
double  what  I afterwards  found  to  be  the  proper  price.  The 
following  were  the  prices  we  paid  for  the  voyage  to  Arary  ; — 


Hire  of  igarite 
Pilot’s  wages 
Three  paddlers 
Provisions  . 


60$  000. 
60$  000. 
150S000. 
263  660. 

2963  660. 


Say,  roughly,  £y:>  for  12  days’  voyage  for  our  two  selves,  three 
servants,  and  the  four  men  composing  the  crew,  nine  persons 
in  all,  and  considering  that  the  craft  would  obtain  a cargo  on 
its  return,  it  was  dear  enough. 

Amongst  the  stores  I laid  in,  I purchased  in  Chapada, 
Tennant’s  ale,  Huntley  and  Palmer’s  biscuits,  Bryant  and 
May’s  matches,  French  sardines  and  bottled  fruits,  Portuguese 
wine,  American  kerosine,  and  Carnahuba  candles,  but  beans, 
farinha,  dried  beef,  salted  pork,  salt,  sugar,  coffee,  and  cachafa 
formed  the  chief  substance  of  the  provisions. 

June  6th  came  at  last,  a joyful  day,  for  it  was  our  day  of 
departure.  All  the  gente  grauda  (magnates)  of  the  place,  the 
Coronels,  the  Majors,  the  Capitoes,  the  Tenentes,  and  the 
Alferes,  assembled  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Candido,  duly  arrayed 
in  their  best,  (some  in  black  coats  and  top  hats,)  to  form  a pro- 
cession of  honour  to  escort  my  companion  to  our  ship.  The 
preliminary  adeos  were  made  with  much  embracing  and 
exchanges  of  all  kinds  of  wishes  for  everlasting  happiness  and 
fortune  and  good  health,  and  then  bidding  good-bye  to  my 
kind  friend  Dr.  Candido  and  his  amiable  Senhora,  Donna 
Maria,  I joined  the  tail  of  the  procession  that  increased  as  we 
proceeded.  At  the  port  were  a crowd  of  men,  women,  and 


A Grand  DF.rARTURE  from  Ciiafada.  265 

children,  and  several  negro  girls  bearing  baskets  of  bread, 
cakes,  prcser\'es,  cheeses,  honey  and  eggs,  all  presents  to  my 
eompanion  ; three  large  botes  were  on  the  river  to  receive  the 
escort  of  friends,  on  one  was  the  drum  and  trombone  band, 
which  immediately  commenced  its  noisy  operations,  accom- 
panied by  the  reports  of  exploding  rockets  and  bombs,  shouts 
and  vivas,  anything  to  make  the  din  and  noise  that  the 
viaiiito  so  dearly  loves. 

More  embracing,  and  speeches  inaudible  amidst  the  racket, 
ensue  as  we  go  aboard  our  craft ; finally  we  get  under  weigh, 
followed  by  the  convoy  of  botes  loaded  with  the  band  and  all 
who  could  crowd  aboard.  For  several  hundred  yards  the 
banks  are  lined  with  townspeople,  who  shout  and  viva  their 
utmost,  rockets  are  sent  up  from  banks  and  barges,  bombs 
explode  with  loud  reports,  the  noisy  band  and  the  shouts,  echo 
and  re-echo  amidst  the  rocky  cliffs  of  the  shore,  a perfect  hurlj^- 
burly  of  noise.  We  proceed  for  about  a mile  when  the 
Doutor’s  friends  disembark  and  meet  him  on  shore  to  have 
another  loving  cuddle,  with  arms  entwined  around  his  neck, 
and  lovingly  and  gently  pat  his  back.  He  makes  an  excellent 
.speech  in  reply,  as  almost  any  educated  Brazilian  can  do,  and 
do  well,  and  after  more  cuddles,  he  tears  himself  away,  we  cast 
off,  and  the  men  paddle  us  quickly  beyond  the  last  echoing 
viva.  The  Doutor  said  he  was  very  vexed  at  such  a demon- 
stration, as  it  was  evidently  intended  as  a rebuff  to  his 
colleague,  who  is  not  popular  in  his  district. 

Now  that  we  are  left  to  the  quiet  solitudes  of  the  forest  and 
the  river,  one  can  look  about  the  new  craft.  The  igarite  is  a 
broad  flush-decked  shallow  boat,  twenty  feet  long  and  six  feet 
beam,  and  only  two  inches  above  the  water  amidship  ; it  has  a 
shallow  draught  and  is  keelless,  the  bows  and  stern  are  rounded 
raised  and  pointed  like  a spoon;  and  a rudder  is  substituted  by 
a long  broad  paddle,  that  works  in  a notch  at  the  point  of  the 
stern  ; amidships  a rounded  roof  hut,  made  of  palm-fronds, 
and  thatched  with  the  same,  and  covered  with  hides,  serves  as 


266 


On  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 

cabin  and  saloon,  and  is  just  big  enough  to  hold  the  stores, 
baggage,  and  a couch ; the  ends  are  open,  and  another 
entrance  is  through  a small  opening  in  the  side,  like  the  en- 
trance to  a dog-kennel.  The  pilot,  Manoel,  is  a mild-eyed 
very  quiet  brown-skinned  countryman,  that  nothing  appa- 
rently, will  excite,  hurry,  or  render  nervous  ; he  is  slow  in 
speech  and  slow  in  his  movements,  he  is  clad  in  a leather 
jacket  and  hat,  and  a coarse  cotton  shirt  and  trousers.  The 
crew  are  not  very  attractive  in  appearance,  one  is  an  oldish 
brown  fellow,  with  a very  long  hairless  face  and  drooping  under 
lip,  another  is  a wild  rollicking  irrepressible  fellow,  with  a great 
ma.ss  of  thick  curly  hair,  he  shouts,  he  sings,  and  shows  his  filed 
teeth,  he  laughs  all  the  time,  and  cracks  jokes  and  chaffs  his 
solemn-faced  companion  ; the  third  is  a younger  brown  gen- 
tleman, with  a sullen  sulky  face.  Camisolas  (sleeveless  cotton 
shirts)  and  trousers  are  their  only  garmcnt.s.  The  judge  and 
two  attendant  negro  lads,  my  man  Bob,  and  myself,  complete 
the  party. 

At  the  port  of  Chapada  I measured  the  river,  and  found  it 
to  be  109  feet  in  width,  with  varying  depths  of  three  to  six 
feet,  in  what  was  then  a dry  month.  The  current  flows  at 
the  rate  of  about  one  mile  per  hour.  The  water  is  clear  and 
tepid.  The  ordinary  water-level  is  366  feet  above  the  sea,  72 
feet  below  the  Tocantins  at  Carolina,  and  150  below  the  upper 
town  of  Chapada.  This  river  is  wonderfully  beautiful,  cliffs 
of  dark  green  rock,  ten  to  thirty  feet  high,  form  the  bank.s, 
down  whose  face  hang  the  huge  roots  of  great  trees  growing 
in  the  soil  above,  water  drips  and  trickles  at  every  few  yards 
and  the  moisture  generates  ferns  and  mosses  in  evfery  ledge 
and  cranny,  and  in  the  narrower  parts  of  the  stream  the  great 
trees  spread  their  boughs  overhead  from  either  side  and  mingle 
one  with  the  other  in  a lovely  green  arcade  of  verdure,  the  leaves 
golden  green,  and  the  tracery  of  boughs  dark  and  opaque 
against  the  blue  sky,  that  here  and  there  .sends  a flood  of 
sunshine  upon  the  shaded  waters  of  the  river. 


First  Night  on  the  Grajahu. 


267 


The  most  conspicuous  trees  are  broad-leaved,  and  fantasti- 
cally formed  trunks  of  Gammeleiras  ; bulging  Barrigudas  or 
Samaumas;®  purple  flowering  Bignonia  Pau  d’  Arco^  de  ITor 
Roxa,  and  the  green  trunk  of  the  Pau  de  Embira.*  The  under- 
wood comprises  shrubs  of  the  Myrtacecz  family,  great  clumps  of 
bamboos  of  various  varieties  (some  attaining  a height  of  fifty 
feet),  and  the  gravata^  whose  remarkable  fibres  can  be 
made  into  the  finest  tissues.  Palms  of  any  species  are  rare  in 
these  woods. 

The  bote  makes  a fair  progress  of  nearly  four  miles  the 
hour,  propelled  by  four  paddles  (for  Bob  had  joined  the  crew). 
The  men  stand  up  and  row  by  pulling  the  long  paddles 
like  sweeps.  The  rowlocks  are  each  formed  by  the  ribs 
of  the  boat  being  continued  two  feet  above  the  deck,  to  whose 
extremities  the  paddles  are  secured.  As  it  was  near  four 
o’clock  before  we  started,  we  make  but  a short  journey,  and 
land  at  sunset  on  the  rocky  banks,  at  a point  where  the 
roots  of  a great  gammcleira  above  had  spread  a network  of 
ramifications,  leaving  holes  and  crannies  partly  filled  with  earth 
and  dt%ns,  just  the  places  a snake  loves  to  coil  away  in.  We 
climb  the  bank,  and  clear  a space  in  the  woods,  the  fire  is  made, 
dinner  prepared  and  despatched,  hammocks  suspended  wher- 
ever a convenient  place  is  found,  (I  prefer  my  box  bed  on 
deck,)  and  then  the  long  dark  evening  is  before  us.  As  the  sun 
sets  the  forest  resounds  with  the  deep  hoarse  roars  of  the  gua- 
ribas  ‘ (howling  monkey),  resembling  more  the  roar  of  a bull 
than  of  so  small  an  animal;  but  as  the  short  twilight  changes  to 
dark  night  they  cease  their  din,  and  a deep  silence  follows 
disturbed  only  by  the  faint  droning  hum  of  mosquitos,  and  the 
occasional  splash  of  a fish.  The  night  is  warm  and  close  (82°), 
thick  coverings  are  insupportable,  and  the  mosquitos  have 
grand  times,  and  I already  begin  to  regret  the  cool  fresh 

3 Genus  Echytes,  that  furnishes  the  vegetable  silk. 

* Tecona  curialis.  * Xilopia  frutecens. 

* Bilbergia  tinctoria.  ^ Myctis  Beelzebub. 


268 


Om  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 


nights  of  the  open  highlands  we  had  so  lately  traversed.  But 
confound  these  mosquitos — slap — slap — if  there  is  anything  to 
make  a man  feel  unkind,  it  is  to  be  a helpless  prey  to  crowds 
of  these  bloodthirsty  insects. 

We  are  all  astir  at  4 a.m.,  and  after  a splash  in  the  river 
that  somewhat  refreshes  one  fevered  from  a night  of  mosqui- 
tos, we  get  under  weigh  whilst  it  is  yet  dark,  and  drift  slowly 
with  the  stream  so  as  to  avoid  a violent  collision  with  snags. 
In  due  time  the  grey  dawn  appears,  and  the  mist  rolls  away 
from  the  surface  of  the  warm  water  ; as  the  shadows  disappear 
and  the  warm  light  of  daybreak  glows  on  the  trees  and  water, 
the  woods  become  lively  with  sounds,  the  sonorous  bell-bird 
twangs  its  orisons,  a pretty  red  and  gold  and  purple-black 
corrupiao  ® warbles  its  sweet  notes  (probably  the  only  tropical 
bird  of  brilliant  plumage  that  can  utter  melodious  notes).  The 
gnaribas  howl  again  in  the  distance,  a group  of  brown  mon- 
keys in  some  trees  chatter  and  grin  at  us  as  we  pass  onwards. 
On  a muddy  bank  ahead  we  sight  a pavao  (the  wild  peacock 
of  Maranhao)  chasing  the  flies  and  mosquitos.  (Why  it  is 
called  a pavao  I cannot  tell,  unless  the  similarity  of  its  cry 
has  originated  the  name.)  It  is  a dark  purple  in  colour 
and  a delicately  formed  bird,  the  size  of  an  ordinary  fowl. 
An  alligator,  small  in  size,  and  several  lumbering  capyvaras 
next  appear. 

At  a part  of  the  river  called  Sta.  Luzia,  the  porto  of  a 
neighbouring  fazenda,  there  is  a considerable  hill,  composed 
almost  entirely  of  Pedrasd'  ’ (whetstones)  of  the  finest 

quality. 

At  mid-day  we  pass  a high  cliff  of  white  stone,  that  glistens 
and  sparkles  in  the  sunshine,  its  base  is  worn  away  by  the 
river,  and  its  summit  considerably  overhangs  the  water;  its 
substance  is  the  fibrous  variety  of  gypsum  known  as  satin-spar. 

® Belonging  to  the  genus  Xanthornus. 

* This  species  of  sandstone  belongs  to  the  Carboniferous  or  Devonian 


scries. 


Buried  Alive.  269 

The  cliff  is  about  sixty  feet  high,  and  extends  into  the  woods 
in  a greater  elevation. 

After  passing  this  cliff,  the  banks  gradually  give  place  to  low 
mossy  slopes,or  to  low  land,  that  is  so  covered  with  dense  bushes 
and  trees  and  flowering  creepers  that  the  soil  is  invisible. 

We  land  at  sunset  on  ground  not  two  feet  above  the  river,  and 
as  floods  have  been  known  to  rise  at  Chapada  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  above  the  then  level,  an  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  malaria 
and  mosquitos  that  are  generated  by  thesubsidenccofthe  waters 
from  these  flooded  lands.  The  soil  is  soft,  and  deep  in  rotting 
leaves,  through  which  our  feet  sink  like  in  a sponge.  The  air  is 
close  and  musty,  a warm  humid  heat,  like  that  of  a closed  hot- 
house; the  mosquitos  are  in  such  crowds  that  their  united  notes 
create  a roar  like  the  sound  of  a distant  waterfall,  we  have  to 
keep  continually  moving,  or  stand  to  leeward  of  the  fire, 
amidst  its  smoke.  No  time  is  lost  over  dinner  that  evening, 
and  as  soon  as  possible  we  push  off  again  into  the  darkness  of 
the  night ; the  moon  is  new,  the  light  is  faint,  and  the  dark 
shadows  are  intense. 

We  have  not  travelled  far  before  we  run  into  a submerged 
snag,  and  the  craft  heels  over,  and  one  side  sinks  under  water, 
if  the  boat  had  not  been  decked  it  must  have  filled  and  gone 
down.  As  the  river  is  not  more  than  four  feet  deep,  the  men 
enter  the  water,  and  with  axes  and  bills  release  the  boat  from 
the  log. 

About  8 p.m.  we  land  on  a sand-bank,  where  we  are  again  so 
persecuted  by  mosquitos,  that  the  men  dig  graves  in  the  sand, 
and  bury  themselves  in  the  holes,  leaving  only  their  heads  above 
ground,  covered  with  a cloth.  They  had  been  rowing  from 
5 a.m.  to  8 p.m.,  and  being  well  tired  out,  they  are  soon  asleep 
in  their  novel  beds,  that  form  a curious  sight  to  see  by  the  light  of 
the  fire,  the  row  of  heads  sticking  out  of  the  sand.  The  judge 
had  wisely  provided  himself  with  a mosquito-curtain,  through 
which  he  passes  the  hammock  strings  ; mine,  unfortunately,  I 
had  left  at  Formosa.  I try  all  manner  of  means  to  escape 


270 


On  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 


my  tormentors,  but  in  vain;  the  night  is  close  and  warm, 
and  I pass  it  slowly  and  horribly  in  pacing  to  and  fro  on  the 
sand-bank,  for  to  attempt  to  lie  down  to  sleep  is  to  choose 
Bfetween  being  half-stifled  by  the  heat  of  coverings,  or  stung 
by  the  venomous  insects. 

I turn  out  everybody  at  4 a.m.,  and  soon  after  we  are 
under  weigh  in  the  darkness  and  mist;  then,  regardless  of  snags 
or  shipwreck,  I obtain  a welcome  sleep. 

About  8 a.m.  we  pass  a bote  (that  had  left  Chapada  the  day 
before  we  did),  loaded  with  hides  and  balsam  of  copaiba, 
bound  for  Maranhao,  the  crew  of  eight  naked  Indians  are 
breakfasting  on  shore,  their  tough  hides  apparently  impervious 
to  mosquito  bites,  for  the  men  sit  as  quietly  as  though  none 
of  the  insects  are  about. 

At  breakfast-time  I enter  the  adjoining  forest,  that  in  this 
place  is  remarkably  free  from  underwood,  and  even  the  usual 
cipos  (vines)  are  few  in  number  and  variety.  It  is  a novel  sight 
to  see  this  maze  of  tall  straight  trunks  (from  the  massive  tree 
with  a girt  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet,  to  the  lofty  slender  sapling, 
whose  crown  of  branches  is  so  high  above  the  ground  that  it 
looks  quite  top-heavy),  all  supporting  a great  canopy  of  dark 
foliage,  almost  impervious  to  a gleam  of  sunshine.  One  can 
glance  down  great  colonnades  of  these  trees,  where  the  farthest 
columns  appear  to  merge  into  the  blue  haze  of  the  sombre 
shade.  Under  foot,  the  soil  is  soft  with  the  accumulations  of 
fallen  leaves,  all  rotting  amidst  the  black  soil  and  moisture  of 
the  ground.  The  air  is  cool  and  damp,  but  it  smells  faint  and 
sickly,  like  that  of  a charnel-house.  As  the  floor  of  the  forest 
is  only  a few  feet  above  the  low  water  of  the  river,  it  must  be 
deeply  covered  by  the  annual  floods,  that  have  probably  swept 
away  or  drowned  the  underwood,  and  the  deep  shade  prevents 
its  reproduction. 

I do  not  return  without  a subscription  to  the  stock-pot,  for 
hearing  the  sounds  of  a low  whistling  amongst  the  foliage  high 
up  above,  I there  perceive  a number  of  monkeys,  eagerly 


Ferocious  Fish. 


271 


scanning  my  movements  with  evident  curiosity.  A shot  brings 
one  down,  a pretty  brown  fellow,  with  a fringe  of  grey  hairs 
around  his  face. 

I now  return  to  the  shore,  with  the  intention  of  taking  a 
swim,  but  the  sight  that  meets  me  effectually  dispels  such  an 
intention.  The  judge  is  seated  on  the  boat  with  a stick  in 
his  hand,  dangling  a line  with  a piece  of  meat  tied  to  its 
end,  and  hauling  in  piranhas  as  fast  as  he  can  pull  them 
aboard,  no  hook  or  float  is  necessary,  for  iijimediately  the 
bait  enters  the  water,  great  numbers  of  the  flsh  struggle  and 
fight  with  one  another  to  seize  it,  when,  (as  they  hold  on  firmly 
to  the  meat,)  they  are  easily  jerked  aboard.  The  deck  is  quite 
alive  with  numbers  of  them  leaping  about  and  snapping  their 
serrated  sharp  teeth. 

The.se  small  but  ferocious  fish’®  are  one  of  the  dangers  of 
many  Brazilian  rivers  (in  the  Rio  Grajahu,  exception- 
ally abundant),  and  are  said  to  be  able  to  reduce  to 
a skeleton  in  comparatively  few  minutes,  any  horse  or 
bullock  that  enters  the  water.  In  the  Grajahu  they  vary  in 
size  from  four  to  fourteen  inches  in  length,  their  proportions 
are  about  a third  of  their  length  in  depth  from  back  to  under 
fin,  and  about  one-sixth  of  their  length  in  thickness.  The 
face  is  quite  that  of  a pug  dog,  and  the  mouth  is  armed  with 
a most  formidable  array  of  keen-edged,  sharp-pointed,  serrated 
teeth,  so  sharp  that  one  of  the  fish,  flapping  about  the  deck, 
easily  bit  in  two  a stick  that  I inserted  in  its  mouth.  The 
colour  is  a dark  bluish  purple  on  the  back,  graduating  down 
the  sides  into  light  green  and  deep  red,  and  terminating  in  a 
yellow  ochre  underneath.  They  are  similar  to  the  piranhas 
of  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  of  which  a sketch  is  given  on 
page  343.  vol.  i. 

The  bote  we  had  passed  in  the  early  morning  now  goes  by 
whilst  we  are  breakfasting,  but  at  mid-day  we  again  come  up 
to  it  and  a capital  race  ensues,  eight  rowers  against  four.  Both 
Serra  Salmo  Piraya;  Cuvier.  The  Caribe  of  the  Oronoco. 


272 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


crews  exert  themselves  to  their  utmost,  even  our  phlegmatic 
Manoel  bestirs  himself  a little,  and  mildly  tells  his  men  to 
puxa  ! rapaziada  ! puxa  ! (pull ! boys  ! pull !)  They  shout 
and  struggle  their  hardest,  their  eyes  sparkle,  and  the  per- 
spiration streams  down  their  faces  and  chests.  Finally  we 
forge  ahead  amid  the  shouts  of  derision  from  our  crew,  who 
offer  a cable  to  tow  the  bote  velho  (old  barge).  Void  embora  ! 
void  embora  rapaziada  ! adeos  ! adeos ! bote  velho  (Let’s  away  ! 
let’s  away,  boys  ! adeos  ! adeos ! old  barge).  The  Bote  velho 
is  ignominiously  defeated,  and  never  more  overtakes  us. 

The  high  banks  of  the  river  have  now  quite  disappeared, 
and  all  day  we  pass  by  forests  of  tall  straight  trunks  with 
scarcely  any  undergrowth,  an  appearance  that  more  resembles 
a pine-wood  than  the  typical  Brazilian  fluresta. 

I had  started  from  Chapada  with  the  intention  of  roughly 
mapping  the  course  of  the  stream,  but  it  is  so  extremely 
tortuous  that  the  operation  of  approximately  determining  the 
direction  is  well-nigh  impossible,  unless  by  such  a process 
that  time  and  means  would  not  admit  of.  So  far  there  had 
not  appeared  a straight  piece  of  the  river  longer  than  lOO 
yards.  I tried  patiently  to  roughly  calculate  the  length  of 
the  ever-varying  bearings,  that  comprised  the  four  quarters  of 
the  compass,  but  when  plotted,  the  course  evolved  such  a 
jumble,  and  the  bends  got  so  mixed  up,  and  the  river  crossed 
and  re-crossed  itself  so  repeatedly,  that  I almost  gave  it  up  in 
despair. 

Several  small  jacares  (caymen)  are  lazily  floating  on  the 
water  like  logs,  but  dive  under  the  water  with  a wriggle  as  we 
approach  ; and  a large  brown  Socco  ‘ (Brazilian  bittern)  is 
seen  on  the  banks  of  a little  tributary  streamlet,  watching  for 
fish,  with  his  long  neck  doubled  up  out  of  sight  amidst  the 
feathers  of  the  shoulders,  and  often  the  beautiful  white  herons* 
swoop  down  ahead  of  us,  almost  skimming  the  surface  of  the 
waters  with  their  outstretched,  snowy  wings.  By  the  light  of 
' Ardca  exit  is  (?).  * Ardca  candidissima. 


MoRFio  DO  Oratorio. 


273 

the  moon  the  voyage  is  continued  far  into  the  night.  The 
men  row  quietly,  and  sing  in  low  voices  their  river  songs,  ac- 
companied by  the  regular  splash  of  the  paddles,  and  the  ripple 
and  wash  of  the  waters  alongside,  sounds  that  create  a strange 
and  weird  effect  in  the  impressive  silence  of  the  night  and  the 
intense  shadows  of  the  forest,  while  the  heavy  dew  forms  light 
filmy  clouds  of  mist  in  the  cool  damp  air. 

At  about  8 p.m.  an  isolated  rounded  hill  is  sighted,  some 
little  distance  inland  on  the  right,  known  as  the  Morro  do 
Oratorio  (Oratory  Mill),  from  a deep  wide  cavity  that  appears 
half-way  up  its  face.  By  the  bright  moonlight  a large  white 
patch  could  be  discerned  on  the  hill-side,  the  rest  of  the  hill 
being  covered  with  vegetation.  The  padres  of  this  district  arc 
evidently  not  enterprising,  or  they  would  have  established 
another  Suo  Bom  Jesus  da  Lapa  in  such  an  evidently  natural 
receptacle  for  a saintly  troglodyte. 

We  land  at  9.30  on  a sandy  shore  bordered  by  forest,  where 
we  pass  a blissful  night  without  mosquitos.  Manoel  baited  a 
line  on  arrival  and  caught  too  fat  surubiin,  each  weighing 
about  five  or  si.x  pounds.  The.se  fish  arc  somewhat  similar  in 
form  and  in  te.xture  of  skin  to  their  relations  of  the  Sao 
Franci.sco,  but  are  marked  by  longitudinal  bands  of  dark 
neutral  tint  upon  a light  buff-coloured  ground  instead  of  by 
spots. 

The  morning  appears  fresh  and  cool  with  the  morning 
mists,  thermometer  showing  70°.  We  get  away  by  day- 
break, for  the.se  early  morning.s,  although  chilly  and  damp,  are 
far  preferable  to  the  heat  of  day.  To-day's  voyage  shows  a 
change  in  the  character  of  the  forest,  for  not  only  does  the 
major  part  of  the  vegetation  consist  of  a great  variety  of 
palms,  but  the  general  disposition  is  very  different  to  any  of 
the  forests  up-stream.  The  underwood  is  dense,  but  above  it 
there  is  no  dark  canopy  of  leaves  supported  by  colonnades 
of  tall  tree-trunk.s,  for  here  in  the.se  palm-forests  the  loftier 
trees  and  palms  form  groups,  or  stand  alone  and  separated 

T 


VOL.  II. 


274 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


from  the  next  group,  or  isolated  tree  or  palm,  by  a growth  of 
more  dwarfed  vegetation.  Each  of  these  clusters  is  im- 
mensely different  one  to  the  other,  and  every  few  yards 
present  an  ever-varying  change  in  the  composition  and 
arrangement  of  the  plants.  For  instance,  from  amidst  bushes 
clothed  with  flowering  parasites,  a Marajar  palm  rears  its 
huge  fronds  like  a gigantic  shuttle-cock,  or  a tall  and  stately 
Bacaba  palm  appears  enveloped  in  the  Python-like  folds  of  a 
huge  vine  that  near  the  feathery  head  of  its  supporter  ramifies 
into  the  branches  of  a great  tree,  that  will  eventually  crush 
and  destroy  the  palm,  and  then  appear  like  an  immen.se  cork- 
screw. Next  comes  a glade  filled  with  dwarfed  bamboo.s, 
plumed  Najar  palms,  and  Cana  braba^  (wild  sugar-cane), 
mingled  with  thorny  bu.shes  and  parasitic  plants,  all  gleaming 
and  glistening  in  the  sunshine.  Now  a huge  Sainauina  rears 
its  huge  bulging  trunk  high  above  its  lowlier  neighbours,  and 
softens  their  brightness  with  the  deep  shade  of  its  wide- 
spreading  foliage.  The  next  is  perhaps  a group  of  other  tall 
palms,  all  entwined  with  parasitic  pendent  or  festooned 
flowering  vines,  brilliant  and  vivid  in  colour,  and  so  one  might 
continue,  and  fill  pages  descriptive  of  the.se  beautiful  palm- 
forests  where  the  vegetation  is  so  varied.  In  the  bright 
glare  of  mid-day  one  sees  alternately  broad  masses  of 
foliage  gleaming  in  the  sunshine,  and  soft  shadows  thrown 
upon  the  lowlier  verdure  by  the  spreading  boughs  of  huge 
umbrageous  trees. 

During  the  morning  we  meet  two  botes  and  an  igarite  pro- 
ceeding up-stream  from  Maranhao  to  Chapada,  the  crews  of 
polcmcn  are  naked  Indians  of  the  tribe  of  Gamcllas,'*  stout 

’ The  Indians  fabricate  their  best  arrows  from  this  reed,  that  is 
straight,  light,  and  tough. 

'I’hese  (lanicllas  have  been  so  named  by  the  Brazilians,  from  a 
custom  that  they  have  when  in  a savage  state,  of  wearing  a slightly  con- 
cave round  piece  of  wood  in  a slit  in  their  lower  lips,  that  bears  some 
resemblance  to  a gamdla,  i.e.  a bowl,  an  adornment  common  to  the 
chief  aboriginal  races. 


Hiddkx  IU:autii:s 


275 


stronj^ly-built  fellows  ; they  pole  their  way  slowly  and  with 
difficulty  against  the  current.  What  a labour  of  patient  hard 
work  it  is,  and  already  they  have  been  forty-one,  forty-three, 
and  forty-si.x  days  respectively,  on  the  voyage  from  Arary 
on  the  Rio  Mearim. 

Further  on,  I shoot  a jam  (Penelope),  perched  on  a branch 
overhanging  the  river,  the  bird  falls  into  the  water  fluttering  ; 
but  before  we  can  reach  it,  it  is  dragged  out  of  sight  by  the 
/>irau/ias,  that  splash  and  agitate  the  surface  of  the  water  as 
they  struggle  with  each  other  over  their  prey. 

At  10.30  we  land  at  the  Porto  of  Tenente  Coronel  Marianno 
Bandeira,  a fazendeiro.  Hitherto  we  had  passed  no  riverside 
habitations  since  leaving  Chapada.  In  this  neighbourhood 
the  slopes  of  the  Geraes  or  highlands,  approach  within  a mile 
of  the  river,  and  on  their  open  gras.sy  cavtpos  are  a few  cattle- 
farms,  five,  ten,  or  even  twenty  miles  apart. 

The  colonel’s  house  is  built  with  adobe  walls  and  tiled 
roof,  the  centre  is  open  to  the  front  and  surrounded  at  sides 
and  rear  by  the  various  rooms  of  the  house  ; this  open  space 
under  the  roof  serves  as  an  accommodation  for  passing  tra- 
vellers, and  is  liberally  supplied  with  hooks  to  suspend  their 
hammocks. 

An  old  black  informs  us  that  the  “ colonel  ” and  his  sons 
arc  away  campiando  0 gado  (driving  the  cattle  to  new  pastures), 
and  that  the  females  of  the  establishment  are  occupado  (occu- 
pied, or  in  other  words  too  shy  to  appear),  but  we  feel  we 
are  being  surv’eyed,  by  the  sounds  of  giggles  and  the  rustles 
of  gowns  that  are  heard  behind  the  nearly  closed  door. 

During  the  rest  of  the  day  a fresh  breeze  serves  to  temper 
the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  ; but  the  judge  says  he  cannot 
support  the  glare  and  heat  any  longer,  and  now  lays  extended 
under  the  shade  of  the  tolda  or  cabin  hut,  but  not  by  any 
means  in  undisturbed  repose,  for  a new  torture  has  now  come 
aboard  in  the  form  of phun^  a black  sand-fly,  small  as  a grain 
® Trombidium,  sp.  (?) 

T 2 


2/6 


On  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 


of  fine  gunpowder  ; and  as  they  prefer  shade  to  sunshine,  they 
are  making  things  unpleasant  for  my  companion.  He  is 
surrounded  by  clouds  of  the  in.sccts,  and  as  he  rubs  his  smart- 
ing flesh,  he  anathematizes  them  heartily,  still  he  will  not  leave 
the  stcwy  shade  of  the  tolda,  and  is  being  rapidly  covered  on 
face  and  hands  with  innumerable  minute  red  spots.  At  every 
bite  the  in.sects  draw  blood,  the  skin  rapidly  inflames  and 
cau.scs  a mo.st  irritating  smart,  and  the  puncture  forms  a minute 
black  .spot  that  will  remain  for  many  days. 

Apparently  the  only  obstacle  to  the  navigation  of  the 
Grajahu  besides  its  quadrupled  length  of  twi.sts  and  turns  and 
long  dcHours,  is  the  prevalence  of  snags.  Two  years  ago  (in 
1873),  the  province  paid  io,ooo§ooo  (1000/.  about),  to  clear 
them  all  away,  but  as  the  banks  consist  chiefly  of  soft 
alluvial  soil,  trees  continually  fall  into  the  river,  obstruct  the 
pas.sage  of  boats,  and  render  the  navigation  dangerous,  for  in 
some  places  the  current  is  so  strong,  that  in  suddenly  turning 
any  one  of  the  .sharp  bend.s,  a boat  is  liable  to  be  driven  on  to 
a log  before  there  is  time  to  avoid  it,  and  then  capsize.  At 
one  place  a great  Jatoba  tree  ® has  fallen  into  the  river,  and 
barely  allows  sufficient  space  to  pa.ss  between  its  branches 
and  the  bush  of  the  opposite  bank  ; as  it  is,  the  boughs  carry 
away  part  of  the  palm-thatch  of  the  cabin. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  pa.ss  a high  bluff  of  reddish  earth, 
capped  by  bu.sh  and  forest,  that  Manocl  tells  me  is  the  scene  of 
an  adventure  he  had  with  the  Indians  in  1863.  The  following 
is,  as  near  as  I can  translate,  the  story  he  related  of  a romantic 
talc  of  Indian  magnanimity,  although^t  is  as  impo.ssible  to 
convey  the  pilot’s  quaint  terms  and  c.xprc.ssions,  as  it  would  be 
to  render  broad  Scotch  into  idiomatic  I'rcnch. 

“ Since  a young  man  I have  lived  upon  this  river,  for  many 
years  as  a poleman  and  paddler,  and  now  as  a pmctico  (pilot). 
Some  few  years  ago  the  Itambeira  Indians  were  all  wild,  and 
often  ravaged  the  outlying  farms  in  vengeance  for  their  slaugh- 
" llymaucu  courbaril,  a Icguminosa. 


An  Indian  Anecdote. 


277 


tercd  comrades,  for  whenever  we  saw  an  Indian  in  those  days 
we  used  to  shoot  him,  but  manj'  a time  botes  were  surprised  and 
the  crew  killed  in  retaliation.  Ah  ! tho.se  were  wild  times ! 
Well,  in  the  year  1863,  I was  a poleman  on  a boat  returning 
from  Maranhao,  we  were  all  chanting  a song  as  we  poled 
slowly  up-stream,  when,  as  we  neared  that  bluff  and  rounded 
the  corner,  A I'e  Maria ! a great  number  of  the  wild  Indians 


An  Indian. 


appeared  from  amidst  the  bushes  with  bended  bows  pointed 
at  us  ; we  were  quite  taken  by  surprise,  and  before  we  could 
get  our  guns  ready,  a great  number  of  them  jumped  into  the 
water,  and  swam  or  waded  off  to  our  craft,  for  we  were  close 
to  the  shore.  Resistance  was  useless,  for  a dozen  arrows  wore 
pointed  at  every  man.  The  indios  came  aboard,  and  despite 
our  struggles  we  were  borne  down  by  weight  of  numbers  and 
overpowered,  and  clubs  and  spears  wore  handled  threateningly^ 


278 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


At  that  moment  the  capituo  of  the  tribe  appeared  on  the 
edge  of  the  bluff,  dressed  in  robes  of  feathers,  and  at  a signal 
from  him,  the  indios  became  quiet  although  they  held  us 
securely.  The  capituo  spoke  a little  Portuguese,  enough  for 
us  to  understand  him,  and  said,  ‘ It  is  Curuxe  that  speaks,  let 
the  Christuo  listen.  The  Christoes  kill  the  Itambehas  like 
they  kill  the  snakes,  and  Curuxe  has  killed  the  Christoes; 
good ! but  Curuxe  has  seen  the  good  men ' that  teach  the 
Giiajajaras,  and  they  tell  him  not  to  kill  the  Christoes  ; why 
do  they  then  persecute  the  Indians  who  want  to  be  their 
friends  ? Curuxe  can  kill  you  all  and  take  your  stores,  but  he 
remembers  the  good  white  men,  therefore  he  says,  go  thy  ways 
in  peace  to  thy  brothers,  and  tell  them  not  to  kill  the  poor 
indio  when  they  again  see  him  on  the  shore.’  At  another 
signal  from  the  chief  the  indios  left  us  in  peace  without  taking 
a thing.  The  story  was  told  throughout  the  river,  and  the 
boatmen  for  a long  time  left  the  indios  alone  ; but,  Senhor 
Doutor,  some  men  are  such  diabos  that  they  must  kill  some- 
thing, and  after  awhile  the  old  troubles  recommenced,  and 
arrived  at  such  a state,  that  finally  the  Government  sent 
troops  into  the  disturbed  districts  to  occupy  the  Indian 
villages,  after  this  the  warfare  ceased,  and  now  tho.se  same 
indios  chiefly  furnish  the  crews  for  the  botes  of  the  river.” 

At  sunset  we  stop  alongside  a .sand-bank  bordered  by  forest. 
Soon  after  lighting  the  fire  a large  bote  with  twelve  polemen, 
mostly  mulattos  and  negros,  arrives  from  down-stream,  and  the 
crew  land  on  the  opposite  .shore  for  their  supper.  After  a short 
time  they  commence  to  amuse  themselves  with  shouting 
obscene  remarks,  and  hoot  and  yell  and  jeer  at  our  smaller  party. 
Our  men  are  not  slow  to  respond,  and  both  sides  become 
excited,  and  there  is  every  appearance  of  a nice  little  .scrimmage. 
But  the  judge  now  comes  forward  and  calls  to  both  sides, 
Calla  boca,  in  brntos  (Shut  up,  you  brutes).  Our  men  quietly 
obey,  but  the  opposite  party  onlj'^  renew  their  yelling  and 
' Italian  missionaries  probably. 


The  Effect  of  a Revolver.  2-9 

hooting  with  redoubled  vigour.  “ Give  the  canalha  a ball  or 
two,  Senhor  Shamme.s  ; never  mind  killing  .such  vermin,”  is 
now  quietly  suggested  to  me.  I discharge  three  shots  from 
my  revolver  over  the  heads  of  the  disturbers  of  the  peace. 
The  effect  is  comical.  A silence  follows  the  first  shot,  yells 
and  a scramble  for  cover,  the  .second,  and  after  the  third  they 
implore,  “ Por  amor  de  Dcos,  uao  atira  mais  ” (For  the  love  of 
God,  do  not  shoot  any  more).  “ Then  hold  thy  peace  and  go 
away  immediately.”  They  hesitate  not  a moment,  and  get  their 
craft  under  weigh,  and  arc  soon  poling  up-stream  in  silence  ; 
when  they  imagine  they  arc  well  out  of  range,  they  again  break- 
out into  cur.se.s,  abuse,  and  vile  language,  but  another  shot, 
and  the  dropping  of  a ball  into  the  water  clo.se  by  them 
expedites  their  departure. 

We  soon  clear  away  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  put  some 
miles  between  ourselves  and  our  unruly  neighbours.  A growl 
and  fierce  barking  of  Feroz  rather  scares  us  during  the  night, 
with  a possibility  of  the  enemy  trying  on  a night  attack,  but 
the  morning  light  shows  the  fresh  tracks  of  a tapir  that  had 
passed  near  us  in  the  darkness  and  caused  the  alarm  of  the 
dog. 

June  10. — A dense  white  mist  shrouds  the  river  and  forest  at 
daybreak,  so  thick  that  objects  ten  yards  away  are  undis- 
cernible,  nevertheless  we  push  off  and  drift  down-stream  with  the 
current,  and  an  hour  or  so  afterwards  the  mist  rises  and  floats 
away. 

This  day  the  piums  board  us  with  full  battalions  ; to  see 
us  with  heads  wrapped  in  handkerchiefs,  with  just  nose  and 
eyes  visible,  and  hands  in  pockets,  one  would  think  we  were 
suffering  from  cold  weather.  At  breakfast  time,  it  is  necessary 
for  each  one  to  swing  a branch  about  the  head  and  hands  of 
the  other,  whilst  that  one  hastily  swallows  his  breakfast,  and 
afterwards  returns  the  service.  To  attempt  to  endure  these 
onslaughts  with  complacency  would  be  to  assume  a smiling 
face  like  Sao  SebastiSo  when  he  served  as  an  archery  target. 


28o 


On  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 


for  the  stings  of  these  piums  resemble  a shower  of  hot  needles, 
our  hands  and  faces  are  red  and  swollen,  and  covered  with 
rriinute  black  spots  as  though  they  have  been  peppered  with 
gunpowder.  On  the  water  the  pest  is  not  so  bad,  but  still 
quite  sufficient  to  make  things  unpleasant.  All  day  is  passed 
winding  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  to  all  points  of  the  compass  in 
fact,and  imagine  one’s  dissatisfaction  when,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
Manoel  pointed  out  to  me  a part  of  the  wood  where,  within 
600  yards  inland,  we  had  breakfasted  that  morning,  a day’s 
rowing  in  fact  to  gain  600  yards.  The  intervening  ground 
appears,  as  Manoel  assured  me  it  is,  perfectly  flat,  and  without 
rock,  and  a narrow  canal  could  easily  be  cut  through,  and  yet 
these  many  bote  owners  send  their  fleets  down  the  river  year 
after  year,  and  never  attempt  any  combination  of  efforts  to 
make  these  slight  improvements  ; for  such  tremendous 
voltas  occur  several  times  in  the  course  of  the  river.  Ever}'- 
thing,  no  matter  how  trivial  the  work,  or  the  cost,  is  cast  upon 
O Governo  (the  Government),  and  yet  these  impracticable 
people,  all  classes  alike,  will  assure  you,  “ Oh,  yes  ; we  arc 
inuito  atrazado  (mneh.  behind  the  times),  nosso povo  suo  gaite 
mnito  preguisozo  (our  people  are  very  lazy  fellows),”  the 
speakers  apparently  not  remembering  that  they  themselves  are 
units  in  the  povo.  All  day  we  wind  our  way  through  the 
beautiful  palm-forests,  often  through  arcades  of  greenery,  from 
whence  swing  long  vines  and  horsehair-like  harba  vclha^  and 
hanging  balls  of  wovcn-stick  birds’-ncsts. 

I find  the  following  in  my  diary.  The  scene  is  the  hour  of 
evening  Ave  Maria,  the  atmosphere  is  still  and  warm,  there  is 

® This  parasite  is  likely  to  prove  an  useful  production,  as  an  En>;lish 
firm  in  Rio  has  experimented  with  it,  and  finds  it  gives  an  excellent 
substance  exceedingly  similar  to  horsehair.  The  long,  slender  hanging 
parasite,  like  a very  fine  twine,  is  collected  and  dried  in  the  sun  ; the 
bark  then  becomes  dry  and  brittle,  and  is  easily  rubbed  off,  leaving 
exposed  a long  black  glistening  thread  similar  to,  and  quite  as  strong  as, 
liorsehair.  The  parasite  has  a wide  range  alt  over  tropical  Brazil,  and 
gives  an  essentially  tropical  appearance  to  the  trees. 


An  Evening  Scene. 


28 1 

a hum  of  heat  and  insects  on  the  shore  close  by.  The  warm 
glows  of  departing  day  tinge  the  top  branches  and  leaves  of 
the  trees  of  the  opposite  bank  with  ruby  and  golden  colours, 
and  spread  a soft  light  around.  Clo.se  by,  fringing  the  .sandy 
shore,  huge  trees  tower  above  and  cast  deep  shadows  upon  us, 
the  fringe  of  night’s  dark  pall;  the  river  moves  by  slowly, 
without  a murmur,  without  a ripple,  reflecting  like  a mirror, 
every  branch  and  leaf  and  twig  of  its  wooded  banks.  The  blue 
smoke  of  the  fire  curls  upward  in  a straight  column  and  fades 
away  amidst  the  foliage.  Bob  is  alternately  attending  to 
cooking  and  slapping  his  limbs,  the  men  lie  or  sit  upon  the 
deck  slapping  their  faces,  their  bare  bodies  and  legs,  and 
cursing  the piums.  Manoel  is  forward  piranhas  in  the 

intervals  of  slapping.  I am  .seated  on  the*  deck  writing,  witli 
head  enveloped  in  a towel  and  a pair  of  the  judge’s  gloves  on 
my  hands,  and  surrounding  myself  with  tobacco  smoke.  The 
judge  sits  upon  a fallen  log  near  the  fire,  hurrying  the  move- 
ments of  Bob,  and  wrapped  from  head  to  foot  in  a sheet. 
Thermometer  84°.  Andar  gaitcs  I andarl  andar ! vamos 
embora  ! ja  cstd  moite  ! vamos  jantar  Senhor  Shammes,  deixe 
estd  sen  livro”  (Hurry  up,  men  ! hurry  up  ! hurry  up  ! let  us 
be  off!  it  is  already  night  ! Let  us  dine,  Senhor  Shammes, 
leave  off  writing),  he  impatiently  calls,  for  the  departing 
pinm  are  being  succeeded  by  the  first  sing-sing  of  mosquitos 
that  have  come  to  take  their  places  for  the  night,  until 
the  early  morning,  when  the  piums  will  then  relieve  guard  for 
their  operations  for  the  day. 

The  pale  moonlight  mingles  with  the  last  pearly  gleams  of 
departing  day,  as  the  men,  refreshed  wit'n  rest  and  the  even- 
ing meal,  splash  their  paddles  in  the  dark  waters  and  move 
on  once  again  amidst  the  black  shadows,  or  out  in  the 
glistening  moonlit  stream,  singing  and  keeping  time  with 
their  strokes.  It  is  a pleasant  hour  of  peaceful  quiet 
and  refreshing  coolne.ss,  that  compensates  somewhat  for  the 
heat  of  the  day. 


282 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


But  as  vve  proceed  we  get  into  terrible  trouble,  first  we  run 
into  three  snags,  the  first  two  we  get  free  of  with  some 
difficulty,  but  in  the  third  we  are  hard  and  fast  in  the  fork 
of  a submerged  tree,  and  the  men  are  so  scared  of  the  pi- 
ranhas (and  with  reason)  that  they  will  not  venture  into  the 
water,  and  have  to  set  to  work  sawing  and  chopping  at  the 
obstacle  ; suddenly  they  surprise  us  with  strong  ejaculations 
and  general  anathemas,  and  on  going  forward  to  see  what 
the  trouble  is,  we  very  soon  find  out,  for  we  have  taken 
aboard  a swarm  of  large  black  ants  that  the  men  at  first 
unanimously  dub  formigos  do  diabo,  and  really  they  are 
not  far  wrong,  for  the  ants  are  the  formidable  formigos  de 
fogo  (fire-ants),  whose  venomous  stings  are  like  a severe  burn. 
What  a time  we  are  having ! there  is  no  escape,  candles  are 
lighted,  and  we  smash,  caper,  and  bless  alternately,  but 
more  and  more  swarm  aboard  at  every  instant,  and  despite 
the  pain  (for  the  ants  cover  us),  all  lend  a hand,  some 
at  destroying  the  enemy,  others  at  trying  to  push  off,  by 
poling,  chopping,  and  sawing,  and  after  infinite  trouble,  that 
must  be  realized  to  be  conceived,  we  again  float.  Now 
every  one’s  attention  is  so  devoted  to  smashing  the  ants,  and 
we  arc  so  absorbed  in  that  occupation,  that  no  one  notices 
a rather  strong  current  round  a bend  that  carries  us  before  we 
know  where  we  are,  right  into  a jungle  of  thorny  bushes  of  the 
banks,  where  besides  the  sharp  scratches  the  men  receive,  we 
take  on  board  a mingled  cloud  of  mosquitos  and  hornets. 
The  water  is  deep  and  the  current  strong,  and  .sets  us  in 
right  amidst  the  bushes,  it  is  pitch  dark  in  their  deep  sharlows, 
and  it  is  only  after  much  trouble  and  vc-vation  of  spirit  that 
we  get  away,  feeling  really  desperate  with  the  acute  pain  and 
smart  of  such  a complication  of  tortures.  Mark  Taplcy 
might  perhaps  have  chuckled  at  so  much  jollity,  but  we  didn’t. 

A little  further  on,  we  pass  a bote  moored  for  the  night, 
our  men  shout  a “ Z>W  noitc,  rapaziada’'  (Good  night,  lads), 
but  the  only  responses  arc  sulky  answers  and  foul  language. 


Ax  “ Ini  F.RXO.” 


A little  below,  we  land  on  a sand  bank,  and  there  terminates 
the  unpleasant  evening. 

Every  one  complained  of  the  acute  pains  of  the  ants  and 
hornets,  and  the  almost  naked  bodies  of  the  men  must  have 
caused  them  to  suffer  greatly,  for  the  few  stings  that  1 received 
were  extremely  painful. 

Mosquitos  again  tortured  us  all  night.  Truly  on  this  Gra- 
jahu  there  is  no  escape  from  such  an  “ inferno,”  in  the  water 
piranhas  and  electric  eels  ; on  the  water piinns  and  ants,  and 
motnea  flies  ; and  on  land  mosquitos  and  hornets.  I felt 
in  a raging  fever  from  the  pain  and  irritation  of  so  many  in- 
flictions, and  yet  this  is  the  best  season  for  travelling  on  the 
Grajahu,  when  it  is  free  from  fever,  and  insect  pests  are  fewer. 
What,  indeed,  must  the  months  of  March  and  April  be  like, 
when  malignant  fevers  of  a fatal  type  prevail,  and  when,  as 
the  men  say,  the  mosquitos  are  muito ; I could  well  consider 
them  as  very  muito  (many)  indeed  even  then. 

Jii7ie  II. — Every  one  is  only  too  glad  to  get  away 
early  despite  the  thick  chilly  mist,  but  progress  is  difficult 
on  account  of  numerous  snags,  many  of  which  we  strike,  and, 
were  it  not  that  the  deck  completely  covers  the  bote,  we 
should  long  since  have  foundered. 

Dense  clouds  of piums  again  persecute  us  at  breakfast-time, 
and  later  on  the  viotuca  flies  ® add  their  contingents  to  our 
enemies.  This  is  also  a blo.'>dthirsty  fly  that  leaves  a small 
drop  of  blood  on  one’s  skin  if  he  is  allowed  to  take  his  fill. 
One  can  almost  feel  inclined  to  apologize  for  the  cruelty  of  the 
old  boatmen  of  the  river  when  they  shot  down  the  defenceless 
indios  on  shore,  for  under  such  a process  of  incessant  torture 
a feeling  is  generated  of  a mad  desire  to  smash  or  damage 
something  or  anything.  In  the  afternoon  we  meet  a bote, 
commanded  by  Capitilo  Dias,  manned  entirely  by  his  nude 
Itambeira  Indians.  They  are  all  powerful  athletic  young 
fellows,  dark  olive  in  colour,  and  by  no  means  unpleasing 
® Hadrus  Icpidolus. 


284 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


faces.  The  capituo  is  the  director,  or  superintendent,  ap- 
pointed by  the  Government  to  “catechise”  them,  i.e.,  to  take 
charge  of  them,  and  get  them  to  work;  the  results  are  supposed 
to  be  entirely  given  to  the  use  of  the  tribe,  but  I am  told  the 
capituo  has  a good  business,  for  the  labours  of  some  200  Indians 
engaged  in  collecting  balsam  of  copaiba,  sarsaparilla,  Sapucaia 
nuts,  besides  the  produce  of  their  7'oqa,  should  amount  to  a 
considerable  sum  per  annum. 

The  reader  must  picture  to  himself  the  glories  of  the  forest 
and  our  continual  miseries  for  the  rest  of  the  day  and  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  next  day  we  passed  the  Porto  dos 
Indies,  or  landing-place  of  the  aldeia  or  village,  situated 
about  two  miles  inland,  on  the  high  jilateau  of  the  cawpos 
above  the  wooded  valley.  I regretted  to  learn  that  the 
meninos  were  not  at  home,  as  I should  like  to  have  left  my 
card. 

A few  miles  further  on,  a little  bluff  juts  out  into  the  river, 
where,  as  Manoel  informs  me,  his  was  menaced  in  1868 
by  some  Indians  on  the  shore,  that  he  knew  not  whence  they 
came  or  who  they  were,  happily  he  passed  on  without  exchang- 
ing- shots.  In  the  afternoon  we  land  at  a riverside  farm,  called 
Sobradinho,  the  residence  of  a middle-aged  couple,  a white 
man  and  a white  woman.  Their  house  of  palm-leaves  is 
fairly  clean  and  comfortable,  they  own  a cow,  fowls,  pigs,  and 
some  tame  birds  of  the  woods,  toucans  and  macaws,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  see  the  affection  between  the  couple  and  their 
I)ets,  that  are  extremely  tame.  The  man,  who  is  evidently 
superior  to  the  general  run  of  these  country-people,  informs 
me  that  he  was  brought  up  on  the  coast,  where,  having  met 
with  reverses,  he  had  retired  to  these  solitudes  with  his  vel/ta, 
(old  woman),  to  support  himself  by  cultivating  a small 
roq,a,  breeding  fowls,  and  collecting  balsam  of  copaiba,  which 
he  exchanges  with  passing  botes  for  such  necessaries  and 
luxuries  as  he  requires.  “ But,  my  friend,  how  do  you 
exist  amidst  these  piunis  and  mosquitos.^”  With  a shrug 


An  Industrious  Couple. 


285 


of  the  shoulders  he  replies,  " Agiiento,  vico  amigo"  (put  up 
with  it,  my  friend).  The  couple  arc  by  no  means  thriftless 
or  indolent,  for  there  is  always  plenty  of  work  for  willing 
hands,  even  in  such  a solitary  abode.  Between  the  house  and 
the  river  are  thriving  groves  of  oranges,  limes,  bananas,  plan- 
tains, pine-apples,  araqas,  and  a few  flowers,  all  bordered  by 
the  lovely  vegetation  of  the  palm-forests.  There  is  excellent 
fishing  in  the  river,  and  good  shooting  in  the  woods  and  in 
the  canipos  lands  at  the  rear,  but  the  locality  is  too  warm  to 
be  pleasant  (then  86°  inside  the  house),  and  the  piums  arc 
enough  to  drive  one  mad,  although  the  tenants  of  the  house 
do  not  appear  to  be  much  inconvenienced  by  them,  they  arc 
either  accustomed  to  them,  or  perhaps  the  insects  have  tempo- 
rarily left  them  in  peace  for  a change  of  pasture  on  ourselves. 

Some  few  miles  down  the  river,  we  come  on  to  a troublesome 
pa.ssage,  caused  by  a late  landslip  from  a .sandstone  cliff  on 
the  banks  of  the  stream  ; the  debris  has  filled  up  the  river, 
that  pa.s.ses  over  it  in  a series  of  tortuous  swift-running 
channels,  that  give  us  many  a bump,  and  much  trouble  to 
get  through. 

During  the  evening,  the  camp  fires  of  Capitao  Dias’ 
itambeira  Indians  are  seen  glinting  through  the  trees  and 
bush.  The  Indians  are  on  one  of  their  migratory  expeditions 
in  quest  of  the  balsam  of  copaiba  {copaifera,  sp,  var.)  ; some 
of  the  men  are  on  the  shore  fishing,  but  make  no  response  to 
our  greetings  as  we  pass  by. 

June  13. — This  morning  one  of  the  paddlers,  he  with  the 
long  face,  is  shivering  with  an  attack  of  ague  ; it  is  only 
surprising- that  more  of  us  have  not  been  attacked  with  it 
before. 

Early  in  the  day,  we  pass  on  the  west  bank  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Maraja,  a stream  of  clear,  light  brown  water ; it 
is  about  120  feet  broad,  and  probably  rises  in  the  Serra  da 
Cinta.  Its  margins  are  reported  to  be  uninhabited,  e^cept  by 
indios  brabos,  and  have  not  yet  been  explored. 


286 


On  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 


At  breakfast-time,  taking  my  gun  I retreat  from  the 
plums  into  the  forest.  Near  the  river  the  undergrowth  of 
the  forest  is  a mass  of  brambles,  creepers,  and  small  myrtle 
bushes,  all  bound  together  by  the  vines  and  mingled  branches, 
and  covered  with  the  dried  slime  of  past  floods  ; but  hewing 
me  a way  through  the  tangled  jungle,  I eventually  come  on 
to  gently-rising  ground,  where  the  forest  is  freer  from  bush, 
and  soon  resolves  itself  into  grand  colonnades  of  tall,  straight 
column-like  trees  ; progress  is  only  made  inconvenient  by 
projections  of  huge  roots,  and  the  masses  of  vines  hang- 
ing down  like  a string  of  fine  twine,  or  as  huge  colossi, 
thick  as  a man’s  body,  entwined  around  great  trunks  ; others 
of  varied  sizes,  forms,  and  species,  extend  along  the  ground 
in  coils,  or  in  masses  like  a tangled  bundle  of  string,  or  form 
natural  swings  from  tree  to  tree,  a perfect  maze  of  almost 
leafless  cordage,  for  there  no  flowers  are  seen,  and  even  a 
green  leaf  is  rare.  High  up  above,  is  a dark  roof  of  foliage, 
through  which  the  daylight  appears  here  and  there  in  dots, 
like  the  stars  of  night.  Under-foot  is  a deep  soil  of  black 
humus,  thickly  covered  with  the  debris  of  rotting  trees,  de- 
cayed leave.s,  and  the  slime  of  many  floods.  The  atmosphere 
feels  cool,  and  damp,  and  fresh,  after  the  fierce  glare  of  the 
river,  but  it  is  pregnant  with  many  indescribable  odours,  that 
vary  in  different  places  ; either  a pungent  peppery  smell,  or 
an  odour  of  garlic,  or  a damp  earthy  smell,  or  a sweet  aromatic 
perfume.  The  silence  is  intense,  even  increased  by  a sing- 
sing of  a pa.ssing  steel-blue  mosquito,  or  a buzzing  fly  or 
beetle.  Eventually  I come  acro.ss  a little  stream  of  cool 
crystal  water,  bubbling  over  rocks  and  masses  of  rotten  leaves, 
between  sloping  banks  thickly  covered  with  mo.s.ses  and  ferns, 
where  my  attention  being  attracted  by  a movement  among 
the  latter,  I perceive  a beautiful  bird  of  dark  glo.s.sy  greenish 
purple  plumage,  and  nearly  as  large  as  a fowl,  strutting 
along  and  uttering  occasionally  a low  melancholy  note.  I 
feel  like  a brute  as  I knock  it  over  with  a shot,  but  our 


Untiring  Paddlkrs.  287 

commissariat  is  indeed  limited  in  variety,  and  necessity 
hardens  my  heart.  The  bird,  a new  acquaintance,  I learn  after- 
wards is  a jacawine,  and  its  flesh  is  much  esteemed.' 

Continuing  my  voyage  at  ii  a.m.,  an  uneventful  day  is 
passed  in  gliding  by  the  eternal  forest,  where  not  a sign  of 
human  life  is  seen,  and  barely  a sound  is  heard,  for  very  little 
animal  life  disturbs  the  solitudes  this  day. 

The  river  is  perceptibly  rising,  and  the  colour  of  the  water 
is  now  a deep  brown,  like  weak  coffee ; the  waters  are 
reprezada  (^backed  up)  from  probably  a flood  in  the  INIearim 
river. 

In  the  afternoon  we  meet  another  bote,  manned  by  twelve 
nude  Indians  ; what  hides  these  fellows  must  have  to  with- 
stand the  .scorching  heat  of  the  sun  and  the  .stings  of  insects. 
In  the  evening,  the  moon  being  bright  and  the  river  clear, 
(now  about  200  feet  wide),  and  the  men  being  in  a good 
humour,  they  open  their  lungs  in  loud  songs,  that  are  duly 
encouraged  by  us,  for  then  they  forget  fatigue  and  the  time 
of  night,  and  pull  well  together  with  rhythmic  strokes,  listening 
with  childi.sh  glee  to  the  sounds  of  voices  and  oars  echoing 
amidst  the  black  gloomy  shadows  of  the  trees.  They  are 
really  wonderful  fellows  for  this  work,  they  have  been  rowing 
this  day  from  6 a.m.  until  10  p.m.,  with  only  two  .short  rests 
for  meals  ; in  fact,  since  leaving  Chapada,  they  have  done 
daily,  on  the  average,  at  least  twelve  hours’  actual  rowing,  that, 
I calculate,  is  equal  to  forty  or  fifty  miles  per  day. 

The  night-camp  is  warm  close  and  mosquitery,  but  the 
morning  appears  bright,  clear  and  cool,  bringing  with  it,  of 
course,  the  piums  to  relieve  guard  with  the  mosquitos.  The 
temperature  of  the  water  is  80°,  and  the  air  70°,  that  soon 
increases,  as  the  sun  gets  up,  to  84°.  The  sick  man  has  appa- 
rently benefited  from  a dose  of  castor  oil  followed  by  quinine, 
(then  my  only  medicines),  and  has  joined  his  comrades  at 
work. 

* Probably  the  Paradise  Jacamar  {Galbula paradised). 


288 


On  the  Rio  Grajaiiu. 


On  the  way,  passing  close  to  a small  jacare  (alligator) 
basking  in  the  sun  on  a muddy  sandy  bank,  I plant  a bullet 
in  him  from  my  heavy  navy  revolver ; he  wriggles  away  to  the 
water,  where  he  splashes  and  gasps,  opening  and  shutting  his 
jaws  with  sounding  snaps  ; he  is  evidently  badly  hit,  and  the 
piranhas  seem  to  recognize  the  fact,  for  the  water  for  several 
yards  around  becomesviolently  disturbed,  as  they  swarm  on  to 
their  prey,  for  even  an  alligator’s  tough  hide  will  not  protect 
him,  if  wounded,  from  their  sharp  teeth.  The  men  shout  with 
delight,  “Ai!  jacare,  agora  as  piranhas  tu  mordcs"  (Ha,  ha  ! 
you  alligator,  now  the  piranhas  have  you). 

At  breakfast- time,  hearing  the  notes  of  a Jahu  " close  by  in 
the  forest,  I go  in  quest  of  it,  imitating  its  cry  as  I proceed  ; it 
advances  towards  me,  now  and  then  stopping  and  listening 
with  upraised  foot.  The  game  is  bagged,  but  after  all  I reap 
no  benefit  by  my  slaughter,  for  whilst  Bob  was  lazily  cleansing 
the  bird  in  the  river,  and  not  minding  what  he  was  about,  the 
piranhas  suddenly  seize  and  snatch  it  away.  We  cat  the  bird 
however  in  an  indirect  form,  by  catching  a heap  of  the  fish 
that  stole  the  bird,  and  have  them  for  breakfast. 

After  leaving  this  place  there  appears  again  a considerable 
change  in  the  vegetation  on  shore,  for  the  grand  virgin  and 
the  palm-forests  arc  no  longer  met  with  ; now  is  seen  a much 
denser,  but  dwarfed  growth  of  thick  bu.shc.s,  in  many  places 
the  whole  surface  of  them  is  covered  with  a network  of 
flowering  and  other  kinds  of  parasites  ; one  variety  is  e.spccially 
conspicuous,  in  its  quantity,  form  and  colour,  it  consists  of 
great  masses  of  very  soft,  leafic-ss  filaments,  bright  gold  in  colour, 
and  covers  considerable  extents  of  bushes,  that  it  apparently 
destroys  by  excluding  air  and  light  from  them.  The  ground, 
too,  is  in  many  places  low  flat  and  inundated,  a perfect  hot- 
bed of  miasma,  that  i.s,  perceptible  in  the  puffs  of  hot  humid 
air  that  reach  us,  accompanied  with  clouds  of  .sand-flies. 

In  the  afternoon  I shot  another  alligator  and  also  a Magury, 

* Penelope. 


A Noisy  Night,  289 

a slatc-colourcd  heron,  that  unfortunately  struggled  away  into 
the  swamps. 

We  have  to  row  on  till  nearly  7 p.m.  before  we  find  a place 
to  land  at,  so  low  and  swampy  arc  the  margins  of  the  river. 
At  this  stopping-place  the  crew  of  an  igarite  arc  bivouacked 
for  the  night,  and  in  a state  of  alarm  on  account  of  having 
seen  some  wild  Indians  on  the  banks  that  afternoon,  and  on 
our  continuing  the  voyage  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  they 
strongly  recommend  us  to  keep  alert  at  night,  and  camp  on 
the  east  bank,  the  side  of  the  river  opposite  to  which  they  had 
seen  the  meninos. 

The  voyage  is  continued  until  9 p.m.,  when  a landing  is 
made  for  the  night  on  a point  of  terra  firma  bordered  by  trees 
and  surrounded  inland  by  swamp,  where  frogs  and  toads  are 
making  a noisy  concert.  The  boatmen,  tired  out  with  the 
close  heat  and  fatigues  of  the  day,  are  soon  asleep,  regardless 
alike  of  noises,  insects,  Indians,  or  anything  else,  the  judge 
su-spends  his  hammock  and  soon  turns  in,  leaving  me  alone 
by  the  fire  and  the  darkness  and  many  strange  noises  of  the 
night. 

The  light  of  the  moon  is  strong  and  clear,  the  trees,  some 
gleaming  in  the  pale  light,  others  lost  in  the  blackness  of 
unlighted  night,  assume  strange  and  fantastic  forms,  and  cast 
intensely  black  shadows  upon  the  waters  of  the  river,  that 
glistens  like  a silver  mirror  in  the  moon’s  cold  white  beams. 
The  night  is  not  so  quiet  as  usual,  for  the  frogs  in  the  adjoining 
swamp  make  a clatter  like  the  mixed  sounds  of  some  huge 
cotton  factory,  whirring,  baaing  like  a sheep,  whistling,  croak- 
ing, hooting,  shouting  hi ! hi ! roaring,  a perfect  babel  of 
noises,  that  rise  and  fall  as  the  voice  of  one  or  another  species 
predominates.  Then  there  is  the  booming  of  the  Socco  Boi  (a 
large  bittern),  like  the  bellow  of  a bullock,  ciganas  utter  harsh 
screeches,  owls  hoot,  bacuris  (a  species  of  night-jar)  call  out 
in  treble  notes,  bark-oo-ree,  bark-oo-ree,  the  vtandim  croak 
under  water  like  a grunting  pig,  and  other  fish  splash  ; yet 

VOL.  II.  U 


290 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


all  these  sounds  only  render  the  grim  solitude  the  more  im- 
pressive. The  mosquitos,  fortunately,  have  not  found  us  out, 
and  the  atmosphere  is  cool  and  pleasant. 

It  is  a queer  feeling  to  recall  in  such  circumstances  as  these 
old  scenes  and  old  memories,  and  contrast  them  with  the 
present  weird  and  uncanny  sights  and  sounds,  but  whilst 
thinking  and  musing,  Indians,  friends,  London  streets  and 
Grajahu  swamps  gradually  resolve  themselves  into  chaos  and 
dreamland,  and  the  sentry  sleeps. 

June  1 5. — A cool  morning  with  thermometer  at  65°sees  us  all 
astir  at  daybreak,  and  I congratulate  myself  that  another  night 
has  passed  without  trouble,  for  however  callous  and  indifferent 
a traveller  may  philosophically  become  to  possible  or  even 
probable  risks,  there  is  always,  especially  that  night,  a contin- 
gency of  a jacard  taking  a snap  at  one  whilst  asleep  on  the 
ground,  or  a huge  anaconda  might  like  to  put  himself  outside 
of  an  Englishman,  or  a prowling  jaguar  might  like  to  pick  a 
bone  or  two,  let  alone  such  small  fry  as  any  of  the  choice 
varieties  of  venomous  snakes  that  Brazil  can  produce,  that 
really  one  does  feel  inclined  to  think  that  it  is  just  as  well  that 
the  time  of  doubt  has  passed. 

On  several  occasions  on  the  previous  days  I had  noticed 
many  rough  wooden  crosses  protruding  from  amidst  the 
bushes  on  the  banks,  and  this  morning  I counted  nearly  100 
within  a length  of  a few  miles,  the  indications  chiefly  of  the 
graves  of  men  who  have  fallen  victims  to  the  deadly  fevers 
that  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  (March  and  April)  prevail 
upon  this  river ; some,  however,  are  the  results  of  a squabble, 
or  a free  fight,  and  also  of  Indian  ambuscades. 

The  vegetation  now  becomes  if  possible  more  bushy  dense 
and  compact,  and  the  land  to  far  away  appears  inundated  ; 
but  amidst  this  low  land,  gently  sloping  spurs  from  the 
highlands  here  and  there  stretch  out,  where  the  forest  again 
appears  in  all  its  grim  and  grand  luxuriance. 

At  eleven  o’clock  we  reach  one  of  these  spurs  that  termi- 


A Great  Copper  Region. 


291 


nates  in  a bluff  on  the  river-side.  On  the  summit  is  a small 
clearing  and  a palm-leaf  hii^,  called  Matto  dos  Bois  (the 
Bullock’s  Wood),  The  ground  is  here  very  rocky,  the  stone 
being  very  similar  to  that  of  Chapada,  a close-grained  hard 
dark  greenstone.  The  owner  of  the  hut,  Senhor  Antonio 
Henrique  Maciel,  tells  rrc  that  copper  had  been  found  close 
by,  and  to  substantiate  his  statement  he  shows  me  some 
specimens  of  copper  ore  t’  a.  he  kindly  allows  me  to  take 
away.  Undoubtedly  this  must  be  a great  copper  region,  for 
I have  traced  its  indications  over  some  500  miles  of  my 
journey.®  I believe  the  higher  lands  of  the  plateaus,  even  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Matto  dos  Bois,  to  be  quite  healthy,  and 
there  is  no  want  of  Indian  hands,  or  even  of  native  Brazilian 
labour,  and  the  water-carriage  is  free  and  uninterrupted  to 
the  city  of  Maranhao.  It  should  necessarily  be  a place  of 
great  enterprise,  when  perhaps  the  future  New  Zealander 
surveys  the  ruins  of  Old  London. 

There  is  analdeiaoi  semi-civilized  Itambeira  Indians  on  the 
Rio  Pinare,  distant  twenty-four  miles  from  Senhor  Antonio’s, 
who  informs  me  that  the  land  more  inland  is  fairly  well  occu- 
pied by  cattle  farms,  five  or  ten  miles  apart  from  each  other. 

All  the  rest  of  the  day  we  pass  by  monotonous  low-lying 
lands,  where  higa  trees  * grow  in  prominent  numbers.  This 
tree  produces  an  edible  fruit,  having  a hard  kernel,  with  a thin 
covering  of  a light  fluffy  nature,  sweet  and  fresh  to  the  palate, 
the  outer  rind  is  crisp  and  brittle.  Owing  to  the  prevalence 
of  these  trees  in  great  numbers  this  class  of  bush  is  known  as 
Ingativas. 

During  the  afternoon  the  pilot  shot  a mergulhao  (diver)  as 
large  as  a partridge  ; plumage  glossy  black,  the  neck  long  and 
slender,  the  eyes  a brilliant  green,  the  beak  long  straight  and 
strong,  with  the  extremity  of  the  upper  mandible  overlapping 
the  lower  one. 

^ It  even  extends  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Para. 

^ Family  of  Leguminosa. 

U 2 


292 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


At  about  5 p.m.  we  land  at  some  deserted  houses  to 
prepare  dinner  ; no  explanation  is  necessary  to  account  for  the 
abandonment  of  the  homestead,  for  the  mosquitos  are  impa- 
gavel'^  and  when  we  hurry  away  they  accompany  us  in 
swarms  as  gnats  will  follow  one  on  a summer’s  eve  at  home. 

The  moonlight  later  on  shows  another  tract  of  the  grand 
forest,  and  during  the  evening  we  pass  several  riverside 
habitations  and  clearings,  the  former  all  built  of  palm-leaves. 
With  the  hope  of  buying  some  cachaqa  (for  the  store  is 
exhausted),  the  men  are  induced  to  row  on  until  near  midnight, 
when  finding  there  is  no  prospect  of  obtaining  the  desired 
manipoeira,  we  land  at  a riverside  habitation  to  pass  the  rest  of 
the  night.  The  tenants  have  naturally  long  since  retired,  but 
an  open  shed  offers  a shield  from  the  heavy  night-dews.  The 
men  lie  down  anywhere  and  anyhow,  for  they  are  thoroughly 
tired  with  their  long  day  of  rowing,  from  6 a.m.  to  12  p.m. 
The  judge  is  snug  in  his  hammock,  and  protected  from  the 
mosquitos  by  the  net,  and  soon  the  sounds  of  slumber  indicate 
the  peaceful  repose  of  every  one.  But  I am  restless  and 
feverish,  and  in  these  circumstances  one  mosquito  is  enough  to 
work  one  into  a state  of  intense  nervous  irritation,  let  alone 
when  one  is  surrounded  by  the  droning  roar  of  myriads. 
Finally,  the  long  hours  are  passed  in  tramping  to  and  fro  in  a 
semi-somnolescent  state,  with  throbbing  head,  parched  and 
inflamed  skin,  and  the  nerves  in  a state  of  tension,  when  every 
sound  startles  one  unnaturally,  and  the  glare  of  the  moonlight, 
the  black  shadows,  the  surrounding  discomfort,  and  the  humid 
damp  earthy-smelling  air,  all  seem  so  unearthly  and  strange,  as 
though  one  is  losing  his  senses. 

At  4 a.m.  I turn  out  every  one,  and  as  we  drift  down  the 
stream  in  the  cool  of  dawn  and  the  absence  of  mosquitos,  I 
obtain  a welcome  relief,  and  get  a good  nap. 

‘ Literally,  unpayable,  but  it  is  a common  Brazilian  term,  and  com- 
prises a variety  of  meanings,  insupportable,  coisa  impagavcip  an 

incomprehensible  thing,  something  c.\traorclinary. 


Brilliant  Distinctness  of  Tropical  Scenery.  293 


On  awakening,  the  sun  is  high  and  hot,  and  the  air  from 
great  tracts  of  inundated  forest  we  are  passing,  comes  in  puffs 
of  steamy  atmosphere,  loaded  with  the  odours  of  swamps  and 
rotting  vegetation.  Occasionally  we  pass  tracts  of  higher 
lands,  all  still  covered  with  dense  forest,  and  showing  several 
habitations  built  upon  piles,  the  floors  being  six  or  eight  feet 
above  the  ground.  Many  of  these  huts  are  wonderfully  pic- 
turesque, surrounded  as  they  are  by  grand  trees  and  beau- 
tiful tropical  vegetation,  places  to  thrill  an  artist’s  heart  with 
delight,  yet  to  picture  them  faithfully  what  minute  delineation 
of  details  is  absolutely  indispensable,  where  in  the  sunlight 
every  leaf  and  branch  is  so  clearly  defined  by  its  underlying 
black  shadows,  for  here  one  sees  that  a vivid  brightness  and 
sharpness  of  outline  can  only  be  obtained  by  an  extremely 
dark  contrast  of  colour,  consequently  any  faithful  sketches  of 
tropical  scenes  show  an  effect  that  those  who  have  not  seen 
the  tropics  fail  to  comprehend,  and  are  ready  to  condemn 
the  picture  they  cannot  realize,  as  harsh  in  tone  and  un- 
natural. 

On  the  way  some  cachara  is  bought  for  the  craving  souls 
of  the  hard-worked  crew,  and  they  well  deser\'c  such  a small 
recompense  for  their  good  behaviour  and  untiring  exertions, 
and  the  little  “ drop  of  comfort  ” makes  them  happy  after  their 
fashion.  At  the  same  time  I obtain  for  a few  coppers  from 
some  men  in  a canoe,  sufficient  fish  of  varied,  but  all  of  excellent 
qualities,  to  provide  enough  breakfast  for  all  on  board. 

At  mid-day  we  land  at  a quite  new  house  and  clearing,  called 
Rego,  belonging  to  a young  married  man,  not  more  than 
twenty-two  or  twenty-three  years  of  age,  who  with  his  young 
wife,  and  a negro  slave,  show  a rather  rare  example  of  industry 
in  the  debilitating  climate  of  this  lower  river-side.  The  j’oung 
fellow,  bright  active  and  intelligent,  owns  a few  head  of  cattle, 
and  a square  mile  or  two  of  pasture-lands  on  the  campos  at  the 
rear  of  the  forest,  that  with  the  produce  of  a small  roi^a,  enables 
him  to  lead  a free  and  independent  life,  laborious  certainly 


294 


On  the  Rio  Grajahu. 


but  blessed  with  the  privilege  of  independence,  and  the  satis- 
faction and  contentment  derived  from  an  industrious  life. 

The  house  is  situated  on  the  crest  of  a little  knoll,  pleasantly 
exposed  to  the  breezes  of  the  trade-winds,  it  is  cool  clean  and 
comfortable,  and  the  owner  says  he  is,  as  he  really  appears  to 
be,  happy  and  contented. 

Close  to  the  house  is  a so-called  capoeira  de  palmeiras, 
nature’s  covering  of  a worked -out  clearing,  that  in  Minas  Geracs, 
or  Bahia,  becomes  a bramble  of  bracken,  capim  de  cheiro, 
bamboos,  young  palms,  saplings  and  bushes  ; here  it  is  different, 
for  a growth  of  young  palms  have  spontaneously  taken  pos- 
session of  the  ground ; they  are  all  practically  of  the  same 
height,  fifteen  or  eighteen  feet  high,  the  foliage  resembles 
groups  of  great  ostrich-feathers,  whose  extremities  mingle 
one  with  another,  and  form  delightfully  shady  natural  avenues; 
it  is  really  a wonderfully  graceful  retreat,  fashioned  by  nature’s 
gardening. 

To  the  east,  about  twelve  miles  away,  there  is  a considerable 
inland  lake,  called  Lagoa-assu,  about  four  miles  in  diameter, 
its  waters  are  deep  clear  and  pellucid,  its  margins  arc  bordered 
by  a rich  soil  and  vegetation,  and  by  many  homesteads.  Like 
most  of  the  lakes,  or  any  large  pool  of  water  in  Brazil,  it  is 
peopled  with  hobgoblins  and  superstition  ; houses  arc  said 
to  have  been  observed  at  the  bottom  in  the  transparent  water, 
and  sounds  have  come  therefrom  as  of  singing  and  dancing, 
and  it  boasts  of  an  enchanted  snake  and  mermaid  [Cobra 
encantada  e mae  d'agoa),  possibly  originated  by  the  spiritual 
effects  of  full  charges  of  cachaca  on  the  imagination  of  .some 
belated  countryman,  when  his  brain  was  singing,  and  he  saw 
all  the  trees  dancing  and  whirling  about  him. 

After  leaving  Rego,  we  soon  lose  sight  not  only  of  houses 
and  forest,  but  also  of  terra  Jirnia,  and  the  water  becomes 
almost  stagnant,  and  progress  is  made  by  rowing  only,  unaided 
by  any  current  ; the  river  spreads  itself  out  into  a number  of 
channels,  divided  only  by  low  bushes,  or  sometimes  into  a 


The  Mouth  of  the  Grajahu. 


295 


series  of  lakelets,  covered  by  floating  aquatic  plants.  No 
particular  channel  is  visible,  and  \vc  might  easily  become 
lost  for  a time  in  such  a watery  maze,  and  now  is  really  the 
only  occasion  on  which  we  have  required  the  services  of  a 
pilot. 

The  air  is  very  hot  and  opprc.ssivc,  not  a breath  ruffles  the 
glassy  surface  of  the  water,  that  reflects  like  a mirror,  the 
inverted  images  of  every  twig  and  leaf  of  the  bushes.  Many 
small  alligators  arc  seen  floating  like  logs,  and  in  many  places 
the  water  is  disturbed  by  the  fighting  of  the  piranhas  that 
when  hard  up  for  food,  demolish  one  another.  On  the  bushes 
are  great  numbers  of  Cigana  birds,  that  fly  lazily  from  bush  to 
bush,  or  hop  tamely  on  the  branches  as  we  pass  close  by, 
regardless  of  our  presence;  they  are  as  large  as  a pheasant, 
and  much  resemble  it  in  appearance,  but  their  heads  are  deco- 
rated with  a crest  of  feathers  like  a cockatoo  ; as  their  flesh  is 
considered  uneatable,  they  consequently  enjoy  an  immunity 
from  persecution  by  the  passing  boatmen. 

About  5 p.m.,  after  a long  tedious  winding  in  and  out  of 
the  channels,  we  enter  the  broad  waters  of  the  Rio  Mearim.® 
It  is  assuredly  with  no  feeling  of  regret  that  I thus  emerge 
from  the  Grajahu,  and  leave  behind  me  its  many  undeniable 
beauties  and  charms,  with  also  its  abominable  insects.  But  the 
memories  of  its  glorious  scenery,  like  all  other  things  that 
are  pleasant,  will  and  do  survive  the  reminiscences  of  those 
days  and  nights  of  torture.  I have  traversed  it,  and  am  glad 
that  I have  done  so,  but  should  be  very,  very  sorry  indeed 
to  have  to  do  it  again. 

The  Rio  Mearim  now  stretches  away  before  us  on  a long 
straight  course  some  600  feet  in  width,  and  bordered  by  low 
inundated  wooded  banks.  The  water  flows  so  slowly,  oh  ! 

® I estimate  the  distance  from  Chapada  to  the  mouth  of  the  Grajahu, 
following  the  course  of  the  river,  to  be  at  least  450  miles,  and  as 
the  mouth  is  only  thirty-five  feet  above  mean  sea-level,  the  fall  of  the  river 
averages  nine  inches  per  mile.  In  a straight  line  the  distance  does  not 
exceed  240  miles. 


296 


On  the  Rio  Mearim. 


so  slowly,  for  my  impatience  is  great  indeed  to  see  once 
more  the  open  sea  and  civilized  humanity. 

As  the  sun  sets  with  a golden  glory  upon  sky  and  water, 
the  mosquitos  board  us  in  corps  darmces,  even  here  out  in 
the  open  river  ; to  stop  anywhere  is  out  of  the  question,  for  no 
dry  land  is  visible.  The  men  row  on  wearily  but  manfully 
until  midnight,  when  we  reach  the  praia  (shore)  of  the  town 
of  Victoria.  The  men  are  overcome  with  sleep  and  fatigue, 
and  as  soon  as  the  craft  is  secured,  they  lay  themselves  down 
on  some  logs  of  timber  on  the  muddy  shore,  and  in  a few 
moments  a chorus  of  snores  announce  their  indifference  alike 
to  mosquitos  or  hard  beds.  For  the  first  time  I feel  really 
sick  and  unwell,  and  I parade  the  shore  for  a long  time  with 
fevered  body  and  aching  head. 


297 


CHAPTER  XV. 

FROM  VICTORIA  TO  MARANILIO. 


S.  Antonio’s  day  at  \’ictoria — The  town  and  its  Padre— Good-bye  to  my 
companion — On  to  Arary — A bustling  port — An  influential  trader — 
Portuguese  hospitality — Passage  booked  to  Maranhiio — An  evening 
thunder-storm — An  unusual  scene — A return  from  the  Wilderness 
— A gossip  with  a frank  young  lady — A marshy  country — A con- 
siderable proprietor — The  navigation  of  the  lower  river  and  its 
trade — A crowded  craft — Kindness  of  mine  host — Rough  accommo- 
dation— A dreary  scene— A tidal  wave — A river  steamer — In  the  bay 
of  Sao  Marcos — Land  at  Maranhao— A return  to  civilization — 
Difficulties  in  leaving  the  port — A helpless  countryman  and  a kind 
and  useful  Brazilian  official — On  board  the  Bahia — An  attack  of 
fever  at  sea — Bob's  disgust  and  departure  to  his  home — Adieu  to 
poor  Feroz — Lost,  stolen,  or  strayed. 


A field  of  sugar-cane  on  the  margins  of  the  lower  Rio 
Mearim. 

June  17. — Great  reports  of  explosions  of 
bombs,  the  banging  of  rockets,  and  the 
clanging  of  church-bells  are  heard  at 
daylight,  sounds  that  salute  the  festival 
day  of  Sao  Antonio. 


298 


Victoria  to  Maranhao. 


The  muddy  shore  is  strewn  with  debris  and  refuse,  and 
with  huge  logs  of  cedar  that  have  been  brought  down  the 
rivers  for  sale  ; there  are  several  botes,  igarites,  and  canoes, 
all,  like  the  shore,  unpeopled  ; for  the  crews  are  in  the  town 
for  the  festival. 

I accompany  the  judge  to  the  town,  where  his  first  visit  is  to 
a church  to  offer  thanksgiving  for  his  safe  arrival. 

As  it  is  yet  early  we  stroll  through  the  untidy  grass- 
grown  sandy  streets,  and  a praca  or  square  bordered  by 
houses  (all  more  or  less  dilapidated)  and  also  a fairly  well- 
built  old  church,  but  much  in  want  of  repair ; the  streets 
branch  out  of  the  square  at  right  angles.  There  are  a few 
two-storied  houses  with  verandahs  and  glazed  windows,  but 
the  generality  of  the  tenements  are  small  door  and  window 
adobe  houses,  and  wattle  and  dab  huts.  Some  half-dozen 
vendas  and  stores  appear  fairly  well  stocked  with  goods.  We 
eventually  call  upon  the  Padre,  a bluff  jolly  fellow,  who  is, 
I am  told,  a great  favourite  with  the  townspeople,  although 
his  housekeeper  is  young  and  pretty,  and  his  house  resounds 
with  the  shouts  and  cries  of  his  numerous  offspring,  hardly 
two  of  whom  show  similar  tints  in  their  complexions.  The 
town  presents,  even  late  in  the  morning  and  on  such  a grand 
festival  day,  a decidedly  sleepy  appearance,  few  people  are 
seen  in  the  streets,  and  those  only  move  in  a listless  languid 
manner,  as  though  life  is  a weary  burden. 

Owing  to  the  flooded  state  of  the  river,  the  town  is  sur- 
rounded by  water  and  cut  off  from  all  communication  with 
the  mainland.  In  fact  the  judge,  who  leaves  me  here,  will 
cro.ss  country  in  a canoe,  to  his  home  amidst  the  lakes  and 
large  sugar  estates  at  Vianna,  beyond  the  Rio  Pinare. 

We  part  with  mutual  expressions  of  regret,  for  after  all  we 
have  endured  together  many  .severe  trials  of  patience  on  our 
journey,  and  no  hasty  word  or  action  has  once  marred  our 
good  relations.  I doubt  if  any  two  average  Englishmen 
would  have  got  on  so  well  together. 


A Bustling  Port. 


299 


This  long  and  tedious  narrative  is  now  drawing  to  a close, 
(What  a blessing!  I can  fancy  the  reader  saying,  and  he 
would  say  it  all  the  more  fer\'ently  if  he  had  had  to  compile 
it),  and  we  will  hurry  away  from  Victoria  after  my  short  visit 
and  remarks,  for  it  is  like  any  other  country  town  in  North 
Ikazil,  there  is  much  of  a muchness  in  them  all,  all  are  dilapi- 
dated, some  more  so  than  others,  and  Victoria  is  one  of  the 
“ more  so.” 

About  eight  miles  down  the  river,  passing  by  low  flat 
marshy  lands,  that  much  resemble  the  flat  country  below 
IMumstead  on  the  lower  reaches  of  the  Thames,  we  arrive  at 


.\rnry,  Rio  Moar:m. 


Arary  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  amidst  quite  a little  fleet 
of  small  river-craft  and  large  schooners  from  the  city  of 
Maranhao. 

The  port  is  lively  and  bustling  with  men  discharging  or 
loading  the  vessels.  The  one  main  street  skirts  the  river, 
and  is  only  two  or  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water  ; 
it  comprises  several  large  warehouses,  and  the  sobrado 
residence  of  Capitiio  Jose  Antonio  Soares  (a  Portuguese 
trader  of  considerable  wealth  and  influence);  at  the  west  end 
of  the  street  is  a fairly  large  and  well-built  church,  another 
sobrado,  some  smaller  houses,  and  another  large  warehouse  ; 
at  the  rear  of  these  buildings  the  land  stretches  away  in 


300 


Victoria  to  Maraniiao. 


perfectly  flat  marshy  ground,  covered  with  grass  and  a very 
few  scattered  clumps  of  trees  and  bushes,  the  grazing-ground 
of  considerable  herds  of  cattle. 

Having  a letter  of  introduction  to  the  Capitao,  I duly 
call  upon  that  gentleman,  and  find  him  in  his  large  store, 
odorous  with  the'  mingled  smells  of  Newfoundland  cod-fish, 
dried  beef,  wet  sugar,  toucinho,  kerosene,  dirt  and  grease. 
The  Capitao  tenders  me  a frank  and  hearty  reception,  invites 
me  upstairs,  produces  refreshments,  and  tells  me  to  “ make 
myself  at  home,”  and  nao  fa^a  ceremonia  (make  no  ceremony). 
After  a short  chat  I learn  that  the  Mearim  steamer  is  not  due 
for  ten  days,  but  that  a hiate  (a  sailing-craft)  is  about  to 
proceed  to  Maranhao  in  a day  or  so.  I find  out,  and  soon 
come  to  terms  with,  the  owner,  who  refuses  however  to  let 
me  have  the  use  of  the  little  cabin  on  deck,  as  he  has  to  fill  it 
with  cargo,  so  I must  content  myself  with  an  alfresco  voyage, 
and  such  accommodation  as  can  be  obtained  on  the  top  of  the 
cargo.  Well,  better  that  than  nothing,  and  I am  not  likely  to 
object  to  yet  a little  more  exposure  to  sun  and  night-dews,  and 
anything  will  do,  so  long  as  I can  reach  the  coast.  A violent 
storm  from  the  south-east,  of  wind,  rain,  thunder  and  lightning, 
sweeps  over  the  place  in  the  afternoon,  and  clears  the  air  from 
the  previous  hot  stifling  heat,  and  leaves  a delightful 
freshness. 

The  view  from  the  Capitiio’s  verandah  is  extensive  and 
varied,  and  after  the  squall  the  sky  has  cleared,  and  as  the  sun 
sinks  below  the  horizon  of  the  far-extending  flat  marshy 
meadow-lands  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  the  sky  is  all 
aglow  with  the  softest  of  tones,  and  tinges  with  its  warm  hues 
the  surface  of  the  broad  gently- rippling  river,  the  trees  of  its 
banks,  the  houses,  the  rude  quays,  and  the  masts  and  forms  of 
the  various  river-craft.  In  the  street  below  gangs  of  men  pass 
at  a trot  to  and  from  the  vessels,  with  bags  of  sugar  or  other 
goods  on  their  heads.  Up  river,  a barca  is  hauled  on  shore, 
and  the  clatter  of  caulking  mingles  with  the  songs  of  the 


A Return  from  the  Wilderness. 


301 


bargemen  unmooring  a large  schooner  ; a number  of  men 
in  an  open  shed  are  gambling,  their  looks  intent  upon  their 
game,  and  insensible  to  all  surroundings  ; in  the  street,  boys 
are  playing  at  shuttlecock,  and  the  Capitao  is  negotiating  the 
purchase  of  a canoe-load  of  produce  that  lays  alongside  his 
quays.  Black  and  brown  women  in  gaudy  shawls  and  prints 
pass  to  and  fro,  and  exchange  in  passing  many  a repartee  with 
the  idlers  and  workers.  It  is  a return  from  the  solitudes  of 
the  wilderness  to  the  busy  striving  world,  and  causes  me  to 
experience  an  indescribable  exhilaration  and  feeling  of  content- 
ment that  I am  thus  far,  so  well  out  of  the  glorious  vegetation 
of  the  interior,  with  its  hardships  and  pleasures,  torturing 
insects  and  lovely  scenes. 

During  my  stay  in  Arary,  I had  a rather  amusing  conversa- 
tion with  a young  woman  that  I feel  I must  relate,  as  it  will 
serve  to  somewhat  portray  the  opinions  and  character  of  a 
Brazilian  country  girl.  The  fair  one  was  an  only  daughter  of 
a trader  generally  reported  to  be  very  well-to-do. 

I had  been  to  visit  the  father,  whose  acquaintance  I had 
made,  and  he  had  left  me  in  the  verandah  for  a time  whilst 
he  attended  to  his  store  below. 

Whilst  ruminating  on  things  in  general,  I hear  a soft 
ahem  ! ahem  ! from  close  by,  and  then  I perceive  in  the 
balcony  of  an  adjoining  room  that  a young  woman  has  mean- 
while appeared.  I notice  that  she  has  beautiful  hair  and 
beautiful  eyes  fringed  with  long  eye-lashes,  her  complexion  is 
pale  but  clear,  her  features  are  good,  and  she  is  altogether 
decidedly  good-looking.  She  is  peering  very  demurely  down 
into  the  street  below,  but  the  corners  of  her  mouth  move 
suggestive  of  smiles,  and  sundry  other  softly-pronounced 
ahems  are  heard.  In  my  best  Portuguese  I say,  Boa  tarde, 
viinha  Senhora”  (Good  evening,  my  lady).  “ Boa  tarde,  Seti- 
horl'  she  replies.  The  ice  thus  broken,  I am  at  once  plied 
with  questions. 

“ What  is  your  name  ? ” 


302 


Victoria  to  Maraniiao. 


“James.” 

“ What  did  you  say  ? ” 

“James.” 

“ Nosso  SenJior ! 1 can  never  pronounce  that.  I do  not 
believe  it  is  a name.  Please  do  tell  me  properly  ; say  it 
slowly.” 

I pronounce  my  full  name.  She  laughs  heartily,  taps  her 
feet,  and  claps  her  hands,  and  continues, — 

“What  funny  sounds!  Imagine  any  one  with  such  a 
curious  name  ! But  you  are  a foreigner,  I know,  so  it  may 
be  all  right,  but  I shall  never  be  able  to  pronounce  it.  Do 
say  it  all  again.  Ha  1 ha  1 how  very  funny.  But  why  do 
not  you  foreigners  have  nice  names  like  us  Brazilians  ? You 
are  French,  are  you  not  V' 

“ No,  I am  an  Englishman.” 

“ Yes,  yes,  I know,  it  is  all  the  same.” 

“ But  do  you  not  know  that  the  English  are  as  different 
to  the  French  as  your  people  are  to  mine.” 

“ Well,  that  is  strange.  I thought  all  foreigners  were  alike, 
for  they  are  all  so  different  to  us  Brazilians,  and  none  of 
them  can  speak  Portuguese  properly.  Have  you  any  padres 
in  your  country,  or  any  churches  ? Are  you  baptized  ?” 

“ Certainly.” 

“ Now,  would  you  believe  it,  I really  thought  you  were  all 
pagans,  but  I cannot  believe  that  you  have  any  real  padres.” 

“ I can  assure  you  that  they  are  really  padres,  but  in  my 
country  they  are  permitted  to  marry.” 

“ To  marry  ? A married  padre  1” 

This  appeared  so  thoroughly  comical,  and  tickled  her 
risible  faculties  so  much,  that  she  fairly  screamed  with 
laughter  and  danced  with  merriment,  and  made  so  much 
noise  that  it  attracted  the  attention  of  her  father  in  his 
store  below,  who  came  out  and  inquired,  “ What  is  it,  my 
daughter  ?” 

“ Oh  ! it  is  nothing,  my  father,  only  this  foreigner  is  telling 
me  some  funny  stories  about  his  country.  You  go  away.” 


A Gossip  with  a Frank  Young  Lady.  303 

The  indulgent  father  thereupon  retired  to  his  bags  and 
barrels. 

“But  now,  tell  me  honestly,  have  you  actually  churches  ?” 

“ Certainly,  and  some  of  them  are  very  fine  and  beautiful 
structures.’’ 

“ Really  ? Are  they  like  ours  ?” 

“Well,  not  exactly;  they  arc  a little  larger  and  a little 
cleaner,  and  some  people  might  consider  them  perhaps  a 
little  more  elegant.” 

“ There  now,  when  you  say  that  I am  sure  you  arc  telling 
stories,  I will  not  believe  another  word  you  say.  I am  sure 
there  is  not  a prettier  or  grander  church  in  all  the  world  than 
ours  at  Victoria.  But  arc  you  married.^”  she  suddenly  in- 
quires after  a pause. 

“No,  I am  a bachelor.” 

“ Why  do  you  not  get  married  ?” 

“ I cannot  find  any  one  to  liave  me.” 

After  a pause,  and  heaving  a little  sigh,  she  continue.s, — 

“ I am  going  to  be  married.” 

“ When  ? 

“On  the  30th  of  this  month.” 

“ Allow  me  to  congratulate  you  upon  the  near  approach  of 
such  a happy  event.” 

She  stamps  her  foot,  and  says,  “ It  is  not  soon,  it  is  quite 
a long  time  to  wait.  I do  so  want  to  get  married.”  (After 
another  pause  and  a repetition  of  the  sigh),  “ But,  perhaps, 
after  all,  I shall  not  marry  even  then.” 

“ How  is  that  ? ” 

“ Because  it  is  very  likely  that  I may  find  some  one  else 
that  I like  better.  I have  already  been  nearly  married  lots 
of  times,  but  when  the  time  comes  I refuse.  The  last  occa- 
sion was  because  my  lover  told  me  that  he  did  not  like  me 
to  talk  to  other  young  men  ; did  you  ever  hear  of  such  im- 
pudence ? I sent  him  off  immediately,  for  I am  not  going  to 
be  shut  up  in  a house  all  day  with  only  stupid  slaves  to  talk 
to.  But  papa  gets  dreadfully  angry  on  these  occasions  and 


304 


Victoria  to  MaranhAo. 


scolds  me,  then  I cry  very  much,  which  he  does  not  like,  and 
then  gets  angry  with  my  lover  and  sends  him  away,  and  then 
I am  so  sorry,  for  I am  always  thinking  of  young  men,  as 
young  men  are  always  thinking  of  young  women,  as  is  quite 
natural.  Do  you  not  think  so  ? But  I am  sure  you  are  a 
pagan,  and  if  our  padre  was  here  I would  get  him  to  baptize 
you.” 

“ You  think  then  there  is  no  chance  for  us  poor  foreigners  ?” 

“ I\Iost  decidedly  there  is  not,  but  I will  mention  you  in  my 
prayers,  and  that  may  be  of  some  benefit  to  you.” 

The  father  now  enters  the  room,  evidently  thinking  that 
the  interview  has  lasted  quite  long  enough.  But  the  young 
woman  shows  her  discontent  by  bouncing  indoors  with  a very 
pouting  face. 

I could  not  resist  a feeling  of  commiseration  for  the  young 
man  who  runs  so  probable  a chance  of  being  wedded  to  the 
spoiled  girl. 

Nearly  all  Arary  belongs  to  mine  host,  the  Capitao,  who 
practically  monopolizes  all  the  inland  provincial  trade,  for  the 
various  craft  that  navigate  the  river  cannot  proceed  further 
than  this  place,  from  whence  larger  and  stouter  vessels  are  re- 
quired for  the  navigation  to  the  city  of  Sao  Louis  dc  Maranhao  ; 
and  as  these  large  sailing-vessels  cannot,  or  do  not,  ascend 
the  various  streams  up  country,  the  Capitao  thus  occupies  the 
position  of  a middleman  or  broker,  between  the  importers  and 
exporters  of  the  interior  and  those  of  the  capital ; but  the  long 
credits  (twelve  months)  to  the  up-country  traders,  render  his 
operations  very  precarious,  and  the  then  late  introduction  of 
steam  navigation  on  the  Rios  Pindare  and  Mcarim  had  con- 
siderably lessened  his  business,  by  bringing  producer  and  buyer 
into  direct  communication,  and  obviating  the  necessity  of 
Arary  as  an  intermediate  market. 

June  20. — In  the  afternoon  the  barca  comes  alongside 
the  quay  to  take  in  the  rest  of  its  cargo,  and  at  sunset  we 
leave  for  Maranhao.  The  vessel  is  inconveniently  crowded 


A Crowded  Craft. 


305 


with  freight,  the  cabin  is  filled,  and  the  deck  piled  hi<^h  with 
baskets  of  fowls  and  turkeys,  bags  of  oranges,  bales  of  dried 
beef,  rolls  of  salted  pork,  bunches  of  plantains  and  bananas, 
and  bags  of  farinha,  and  barely  enables  one  to  find  a 
precarious  footing,  and  no  place  to  repose  upon  except  the 
knobby  surface  of  the  cargo,  all  points  and  hollows. 

I bade  good-bye  to  mine  host,  who  accompanied  me  to  the 
barca,  where  some  blacks  were  waiting  for  me  with  a ease  of 
port  wine,  and  sundry  roasted  fowls,  sweets,  bread,  etc.,  a 
gift  of  the  generous  Capitao.  I never  saw  this  kind  man 
again,  and  neither  did  he  c.xpect  to  meet  me  any  more,  and 
yet  I could  not  have  been  treated  kinder  if  I had  been  a 
member  of  his  family.  A stranger  I came,  and  left  as  an 
old  friend. 

Jtine  21. — My  bone-aching  and  uncomfortable  bed  upon 
the  sack.s,  bales  and  baskets  of  cargo,  offers  no  inducement 
for  indulging  in  late  rising,  and  the  chilly  dawn  finds  me  on 
foot,  stiff  in  limb  and  wet  with  dew,  for  the  rugs  are  as  damp 
as  though  they  have  been  dipped  in  water. 

The  tide  is  out,  and  shows  the  river-bed  in  great  shoals  of 
soft  black  mud  ; there  is  no  wind,  and  with  the  aid  of  sweeps 
only,  we  make  but  slow  progress  in  the  currentless  stream. 
The  banks  are  low  and  muddy,  lined  with  mangroves,  and 
team  with  countless  numbers  of  small  red  crabs,*  and  several 
light-rose  coloured  culheirciros  (spoonbills).*  As  the  sun 
mounts  higher  and  higher,  the  fierce  heat  becomes  almost  in- 
supportable, and  the  harsh  glare  shows  a dreary  scene  of 
flat  grey-green  marshes,  and  shores  and  shoals  of  mud. 
Suddenly,  in  a moment  as  it  were,  the  turn  of  the  tide  comes 
with  a mighty  rush  of  waters,  that  forces  the  skipper  to 
anchor,  for  the  craft  is  violently  heaved  up,  and  the  waters 
rush  up  stream  at  six  or  seven  miles  the  hour. 

Eventually  we  get  under  weigh,  but  all  day  the  wind  blows 

' The  Gelasimus,  a species  of  the  genus  Ocypoda. 

■ Platcrhynchus  or  Flatalia  ajaja. 

VOL.  II. 


X 


Victoria  to  Maranhao. 


306 

only  in  light  cats’-paws.  I am  already  pretty  well  sun-dried, 
but  the  shadeless  exposure  on  such  a broad  expanse  of  grey 
muddy  water,  without  a breath  of  wind  to  alleviate  the  glare 
and  sweltering  heat,  is  by  no  means  pleasant  in  a latitude 
only  three  degrees  south  of  the  Equator. 

At  4 p.m.  the  river  again  shallows,  and  becomes  unnavigable, 
when  the  skipper  anchors  in  a little  cove  behind  a point  of  land, 
where  we  wait  sheltered  from  the  force  of  the  piraroca^  (a  bore, 
or  tidal  wave,)  that  here  accompanies  the  turn  of  the  tide.  By 
the  moonlight  I see  it  advancing,  a line  of  curling  crested  waves, 
that  reaches  from  shore  to  shore  (here  a mile  apart) ; it  passes 
by  with  a rush  and  a roar,  and  makes  our  craft  spin  and  dance 
round  her  cable  and  rock  violently  in  the  eddying  waters,  but 
the  cove  is  a harbour  of  refuge,  where  the  force  of  the  waves 
is  somewhat  broken  by  the  adjoining  promontory.  Later 
on,  the  paddle-wheel  steamer  from  the  capital,  with  a tail  of 
barges  in  tow,  pa.s.scs  by,  puffing  spla.shing  and  gleaming  with 
her  row  of  lights  in  the  darkness  of  night. 

There  was  much  grumbling  on  the  river  at  the  high,  and 
almost  prohibitive  rates  charged  by  the  company,  (that  enjoys 
a monopoly,  and  a heavy  provincial  subsidy,)  and  a general 
opinion  prevailed  that  the  directors  and  the  authorities  were  a 
happy  family,  and  did  not  care  a straw  for  the  interests  of  the 
farmers  they  were  suppo.scd  to  cater  for. 

The  mosquitos  boarded  us  with  their  armies,  and  made  us 
active  and  watchful  until  10  p.m.,  when  the  tide  permitted 
our  departure. 

Eventually,  on  the  night  of  the  24th  June,  we  anchored  in 
the  bay  of  St.  Mark’s,  at  the  rear  of  the  city  of  Maranhilo, 
where  incessant  reports  of  rockets  and  bombs  announced  the 
keeping  of  St.  John’s  Eve,  the  Brazilian  5th  November. 
The  rest  of  the  voyage  proved  so  uneventful  and  monotonous 
that  tlicrc  was  little  to  specify  ; there  were  occasional 
delightful  hours,  when  we  sailed  along  merrily  with  brisk 
The  word  is  derived  from  tlic  Indian  fiiroai,  bakl. 


A Return  to  Civilization. 


307 


favourable  winds,  that  cooled  and  refreshed  one’s  too,  too 
warmed  up  body,  stung  to  irritation  by  mosquitos  at  night, 
and  scorched  by  the  sun  by  day.  The  river  is  broad,  in  some 
places  extending  to  two.  miles  in  width,  but  everywhere  the 
low  slimey  banks,  topped  by  thin  grasses,  or  lined  by  man- 
groves, create  inde.scribable  scenes  of  desolation,  such  a change 
from  the  scenery  of  the  Grajahu,  yet  near  the  river  there  arc 
extensive  sugar  estates,  and  all  the  wealth  of  the  province. 
Many  of  the.se  plantations  are  very  extensive,  and  have  been 
worked  for  a hundred  years  or  more,  for  the  rich  black  soil  of 
the.se  flats  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  sugar-cane.  In 
these  districts,  intermittent  fevers  and  agues  arc  .said  to  be 
very  prevalent  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  as  the  sight  of 
the  flat  marshes,  sweltering  in  the  heat  of  such  a torrid  climate 
at  once  suggests,  and  were  it  not  for  the  fresh,  healthful 
breezes  of  the  trade-winds  that  .sweep  over  the  shores  and 
highlands  of  Brazil,  these  and  similar  localities  would  be  as 
untenable  as  the  worst  parts  of  the  West  Coast  of  Africa. 

On  going  ashore  early  on  a Sunday  morning,  amidst  the 
houses  of  an  important  city,  with  tramcars  and  gas  lamps, 
well  dressed  people  moving  about  the  paved  streets,  and  all 
the  many  scenes  and  movement  inherent  to  civilized  humanity, 
I feel  as  if  I have  stepped  down  upon  mother  earth  from 
another  planet,  so  strange  and  unusual  is  the  bustle  after  the 
quiet  scenes  of  the  interior,  but' paramount  above  all  is  an 
intense  feeling  of  satisfaction  and  gratitude  that  the  long 
journey  is  over. 

I commenced  my  travels  full  of  enthusiasm  and  delight  at 
the  prospect  of“  roughing  it”  in  the  distant  little-known  wilds, 
but  I terminated  them  with  a far  greater  pleasure,  and  a grateful 
feeling  of  relief,  as  though  I had  awakened  from  a nightmare. 
Yet  now,  in  after  years,  as  time  rolls  on,  the  memories  of  those 
old  days  assume  an  ever-softening  aspect,  for  the  many 
pleasurable  incidents  and  scenes  seem  to  lose  their  accom- 
panying drawbacks,  and  stand  out  bright  and  salient  in  one’s 


X 2 


3o8 


Victoria  to  Maranhao. 


thoughts  as  the  evil  side  of  the  picture  fades  away  into  the 
dark  shadows  of  forgetfulness.  The  camp  fire,  the  breezy 
campos  and  hill  top,  the  shaded  forest,  the  brilliant  sunshine, 
the  wonderful  vegetation,  those  moonlight  nights  on  the  Sao 
Francisco,  the  Somno  and  the  Grajahu,  how  different  all  now 
appear,  when  divested  of  insect  pests,  discomfort,  and  hard  fare. 

Hearing  that  a National  steamer,  the  Bahia,  was  in  port, 
and  would  that  day  sail  to  the  south,  I hastened  to  the  office 
of  the  company  to  secure  a pas.sage  to  the  city  of  Bahia, 
but  as  I could  not  produce  a pa.ssport,  (having  foolishly 
sent  it  with  some  baggage  overland  to  Bahia,  from  the  city 
of  Barra  do  Rio  Grande,)  I was  point-blank  refused  a ticket. 
Declarations,  protests,  expostulations,  were  all  unavailing, 
but  being  advised  to  go  and  .see  the  Consul,  I called  on  that 
individual  and  had  to  wait  a long  time  before  he  awoke  from 
his  slumbers,  and  then  only  to  refuse  me  any  help  or  assistance, 
although  I offered  to  produce  papers  to  substantiate  my  story  ; 
at  last  he  suggested  that  I should  .see  the  Chief  of  Police. 
Upon  inquiring  for  that  gentleman  at  his  residence,  I 
was  shown  up  stairs,  where  from  an  adjoining  room  I was 
invited  by  a loud  frank  voice  to  “ come  in  and  have 
some  breakfast.”  1 found  the  chief  with  his  family  at 
their  morning  meal,  and  having  apologized  for  my  early 
intrusion,  I briefly  c.xplaincd  the  necessity  of  seeking  his 
assistance.  “ Sit  down,  my  friend  ; have  some  breakfast,  and 
talk  afterwards.”  During  the  meal  I recounted  a slight  sketch 
of  my  journey;  the  “ chief  ” e.xpresscd  great  interest  thereat, 
and  unhesitatingly  gave  me  a permit  to  leave  the  port.  So 
my  first  acquaintance  with  my  countrymen  was  not  a pleasant 
episode. 

;\t  mid-day  1 embarked  on  board  the  Bahia  with  my  fol- 
lower, Bob,  who  was  evidently  dazed  with  all  he  saw,  for  he  had 
never  yet  seen  the  sea,  let  alone  a steamer.  1 felt  such  a 
relief,  such  a rest,  that  a reaction  followed  the  long  struggle 
against  difficulties  and  privations,  and  I fairly  collapsed  into  a 


Ami:u  TO  Poor  P'kroz. 


309 

substantial  attack  of  fever,  but  happily  recovered  before  I 
reached  the  city  of  Bahia. 

Some  three  weeks  after  arriving  in  Bahia,  Mr.  J.  B.,  who 
had  de.scended  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  arrived  with  all  the 
camp  equipage  of  the  expedition,  and  the  next  day,  the  30th 
July,  1875,  I returned  to  England  by  the  magnificent  yacht- 
like Britannia,  a large  steamer  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company,  to  enjoy  a holiday  at  home  after  seven  years 
work  in  Brazil. 

Before  leaving  Bahia  I had  obtained  for  Bob  employment 
in  an  iron  foundry,  where  he  could  find  an  opportunity  to 
utilize  his  great  strength,  but  the  same  evening  I met  him  on 
the  stairs  of  the  hotel,  crying  like  a big  baby,  apparently  be- 
cau.se  the  workmen  had  been  playing  practical  jokes  with  him. 
He  would  return  no  more,  and  the  next  day  I put  him  aboard 
a steamer  going  to  Cachoeira  at  the  end  of  the  bay,  whence 
he  will  go  on  foot  to  his  dkstant  home  in  Minas  Geraes. 

A sorrowful  incident  terminated  my  wanderings.  In  pa.ssing 
down  the  coast  I left  my  dog  Feroz  at  Pernambuco  in  charge 
of  a friend,  to  take  care  of  until  I returned.  When  homeward- 
bound,  I went  ashore  at  this  city,  when  I learned  to  my  great 
grief  that  my  faithful  comrade  was  lost.  He  had  once  run  away 
from  the  hou.se  of  my  friend,  and  was  found  at  the  landing- 
place  of  the  seashore,  gazing  anxiously  on  the  open  ocean, 
.seated  on  his  haunches,  and  howling  dismally  for  his  absent 
master,  while  surrounded  by  a semi-circle  of  people,  all  afraid 
to  venture  near  such  a fierce-looking  animal  ; my  friend 
induced  the  dog  to  return  with  him,  but  he  again  got  loo.se. 
and  despite  of  strenuous  efforts  to  discover  his  whereabouts, 
he  was  never  afterwards  seen.  Poor  Feroz  ! Adeo.s,  my  trusty 
friend  ! 


THE  END. 


APPENDIX  A. 


SURVEY  OF  THE  RIOS 

tarAopeba  and 

UPPER  RIO  SAO 
FRANCISCO. 

The  total  length  surveyed 
from  Sao  Gon^alo  da  Ponte  to 
Pirapora  was  more  or  less  3 1 5 
miles,  or  190  in  the  Parao- 
peba,  and  125  in  the  Sao 
Francisco  valley.  On  the 
maj)  the  total  distance  scales 
only  210  miles.  The  length 
of  the  course  of  the  river 
Paraopeba  in  the  extension 
surveyed  is  approximately 
320  miles;  the  fall  is  813 
feet,  equivalent  to  an  average 
per  mile  of  2 ft.  6.50  in.  The 
course  of  the  Upper  Sao 
Francisco,  comprised  in  the 
survey,  is  more  or  less  150 
miles;  the  fall  is  190  feet, 
or  o ft.  9.48  in.  per  mile. 

The  construction  of  the 
railway  would  be  very  expen- 
sive, as  the  following  particu- 
lars will  show  : — 

6,220,766  cubic  yards  of  excava- 
tion. 

647  culverts. 


312 


Summary  of  Results  of  Surveys. 


199  bridges,  with  an  accumulated  length  of  8607  feet. 

3 viaducts,  each  of  four  spans  of  too  feet. 

17  tunnels,  of  a total  length  of  14,635  feet.  • 

The  first  38  miles,  from  Sao  Gon^alo  da  Ponte,  is  by  far  the 
roughest  part  of  the  line,  as  this  section  requires  1,359,848  cubic 
yards  of  excavation,  the  three  viaducts,  and  eleven  tunnels,  besides 
numerous  bridges  and  culverts. 

Eight  engineers  were  engaged  on  the  survey  that  occupied  twenty 
months  of  outdoor  work  and  three  months  of  office  work. 

Distance  from  Sio  Gon^alo  da  Ponte  of  chief  Pl.\ces  of 

Note. 

Miles. 

14  Village  of  Sao  Jose. 

31  The  pass  in  the  Serra  de  Tres  Irmaos,  “ 0 Funil.” 

44  Y’illage  of  Capella  Nova  do  Bitim. 

62  Ditto  Santa  Quiteria. 

73  Oracuhd. 

89  Village  of  Inhaiima. 

1 10  Hamlet  of  Tres  Pedras. 

1 14  Village  of  Taboleiro  Grande. 

127  Hamlet  of  Bom  Successo. 

173  Village  of  Bagre. 

195  Burity  Comprido. 

315  Pirapora. 

335  Mouth  of  the  Rio  das  Velhas. 


O * J 


APPENDIX  B. 

EXPLORATION  OF  THE  TOCANTINS— SAO  FRANCISCO 
WATERSHED;  FROM  CARINHANHA  TO  THE  VALLEY 
OF  THE  PARANAN. 

It  will  be  seen  by  examining  the  map  that  accompanies  this  work, 
that  Januaria  offers  a much  shorter  road  to  the  Tocantins  than 
Carinhanha ; but  the  latter  had  to  be  the  starting-point  of  the  ex- 
pedition, in  accordance  with  instructions.  The  course  followed  in 
the  exploration  was  by  Cocos,  up  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Formosa  to 
Sitio,  Siio  Pedro,  and  Posse.  The  result  shows  that  there  are  four 
alternative  routes  to  the  Tocantins  : — 

I St.  From  Januaria,  in  the  direction  of  the  sources  of  the  Rios 
Carinhanha  and  Correntes. 

2nd.  F'rom  the  city  of  Carinhanha,  by  following  the  valley  of  the 
river  of  this  name  to  the  source  of  the  Correntes. 

3rd.  By  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Carinhanha,  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  Itaguary,  then  up  this  valley  to  the  source  of  the  Correntes. 

4th.  By  the  Rios  Carinhanha,  Itaguary,  then  across  the  desert  to  the 
Rio  Formosa,  and  up  this  valley  to  the  Correntes.  In  either  of  these 
routes  the  valley  of  the  latter  river  offers  an  easy  and  favourable 
course  to  its  junction  with  the  Rio  Paranan,  seventeen  miles  below 
Flores.  Canoes  and  light  craft  can  descend  thence  to  the  town  of 
Palma,  the  starting-point  of  the  large  botes  that  descend  the  Tocan- 
tins to  Para.  In  fact,  all  that  and  the  surrounding  district  sends  its 
exports  to,  and  receives  its  imports  from,  Para. 

The  watershed  is  a wide  arid  sandy  table-land,  perfectly  flat  in 
places,  in  others  very  undulating.  The  eastern  slopes  are  very 
gentle  and  regular,  but  the  soil  is  of  such  a sterile  sandy  nature. 


314 


Exploration  from  Cariniianiia. 


that  from  Burity  Torto,  sixteen  miles  west  of  Cocos,  quite  a houseless 
desert  {travessia),  extends  for  165  miles  to  Sitio,  where,  before  the 
traveller  enters  it,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  everything  necessary  for 
himself  and  animals ; food,  forage,  and  water.  Throughout  the 
course  followed  of  the  Rio  Formosa,  not  one  single  tributary  stream 
was  met  with  in  a distance  of  eighty-three  miles.  The  rain-water 
filters  through  the  sandy  soil  into  the  Rio  Formosa,  whose  waters 
are  extraordinarily  clear  and  limpid,  hence  its  name.  Beautiful  river. 
The  whole  of  this  desert  is  valueless  for  either  agriculture  or  pasture  ; 
but  in  places,  the  margins  of  the  Rios  Carinhanha,  and  Itaguar)',  are 
lined  with  belts  of  fairly  sized  timber,  and  occasional  clumps  of 
woods  are  met  with  in  the  hollows  of  the  land  and  of  the  dividing 
plateau.  The  Carinhanha  could  easily  be  made  navigable  with  per- 
fect safety;  but  its  waters  are  now  rarely  used  as  a means  of 
transport,  on  account  of  its  extremely  tortuous  course ; there  is  one 
great  bend  that  requires  a day  to  traverse  it,  and  where  the  traveller 
can  prepare  his  supper  in  the  same  place  that  he  breakfasted. 

But  it  must  not  be  imagined  that  the  travessia  is  an  African 
desert,  on  the  contrary,  a rich  and  curious  field  for  the  botanist 
exists  amongst  the  pindahibas,  the  mangabeiras,  the  tree  lilies,  the 
ground  cactus,  the  burity,  carnahuba,  and  the  dwarf  palms,  the 
mimosas,  and  all  the  many  varieties  of  strangely  dwarfed  and  dis- 
torted gnarled  trees,  hardy  shrubs,  grey  wiry  grasses  and  brilliant 
flowers  peculiar  to  the  sandy  compos  of  Brazil.  The  atmosphere  is 
wonderfully  clear  and  pure,  seeming,  as  it  were,  a reflex  of  the 
bright  blue  sky  and  its  drifting  snow-white  clouds,  and  the  soil,  the 
grass,  the  bright  flowers,  all  gleam  and  scintillate  in  the  fierce  rays  of 
a scorching  sun. 

The  west  side  of  the  watershed  is  quite  different  to  the  east ; for 
the  Tocantins  being  so  very  much  lower  than  the  S.'io  Francisco,  the 
fall  of  its  tributaries  from  their  eastern  sources  is  necessarily  greater 
than  the  Siio  Francisco  feeders,  consequently  the  western  slo|)cs  of 
the  divide  arc  often  abrupt  and  jirecipitous  ; the  land  is  much 
better  watered  by  (|uick-flowing  streams,  and  the  soil  is  more  fertile. 
The  valley  of  the  Rio  Paranan  is  fairly  well  inhabited,  and  stocked 
with  numerous  cattle-farms.  Here  immense  herds  are  raised,  and 
sent  by  the  great  land  journey  of  1100  miles,  via  Januaria  anti  Cur- 


Ex  PLORATION  OF  THK  ToCANTINs’  WaTF.RSHKI).  315 


vello,  to  Rio  de  Janeiro.  This  district  is  well  watered,  and  the 
pasture  is  excellent.  It  is  a beautiful  country  of  rolling  hills  and 
grassy  plains,  dotted  with  capoes  (forest  islands,  in  the  Guarany 
language)  in  the  hollows,  and  by  belts  of  forests  on  the  margins  of 
the  streams.  But  there  is  one  drawback,  in  the  prevalence  of  mucli 
marshy  land,  that  generates  a considerable  amount  of  intermittent 
fever.  Several  of  the  members  of  the  expedition  sulfered  some 
sharp  attacks  during  their  progress  through  this  otherwise  vale  of 
Paradise. 

In  the  distant  future,  when  the  necessity  may  exist  for  a railway 
to  connect  the  Sao  Francisco  and  Tocantins,  the  engineer  will  find 
most  favourable  conditions  for  his  work,  for  there  are  no  hills  to 
tunnel  or  climb  over,  no  deep  valleys  to  span,  and  the  gradients  will 
be  everywhere  gentle,  and  the  curves  easy.  At  present  there  would 
be  nothing  but  a cattle  traffic,  and  no  railway  would  be  able 
to  lower  its  fares  sufficiently  to  compete  successfully  with  the 
countrymen  who  send  their  cattle  to  market  by  road,  and  to 
whom  time  represents  no  value.  A matuto  (peasant)  will  refuse  to 
undertake  a day’s  journey  for  pay,  but  will  willingly  make  a day’s 
journey  to  purchase  some  requirement  some  few  pence  cheaper  than 
in  his  home  neighbourhood,  for  he  loves  to  hoard  what  he  declines 
to  earn. 


i6 


APPENDIX  C. 

CLIMATE. 

The  following  results  are  obtained  Irora  temperature  statistics 
published  by  the  assistant  calculator  of  the  Imperial  Observatory 
at  Rio  de  Janeiro  : — 


Maximum  and  Minimu.m  Annu.al  Shade  Te.mper.atures. 


Year. 

Maximum. 

Minimum.  > 

18S0 

deg.  F. 

27th  January,  09.50 

deg.  F. 

1st  July,  56.66 

1881 

9th  December,  94. 46 

6th  August,  56.66 

1882 

27th  November,  98.06 

1st  September,  50.36 

1883 

25th  November,  99.50 

19th  August,  55-22 

1S84 

1 2th  January,  98.96 

i6th  September,')  o 
7th  October,  3 ^ 

deg.  F. 

1851 — 67  mean  temperature  74.48 
1868—78  „ „ 75.02 

1879-84  ,,  ,,  73.04 

The  months  May — October,  comprise  the  dry,  and  November — April,  the  rainy 
season. 

There  is  naturally  a very  considerable  difference  between  the 
temperatures  of  the  low-lying  city  and  the  elevated  suburbs  on  tlie 
hills  surrounding  it.  On  loth  December,  1885,  the  temperature 
of  the  day  and  niglit  of  the  city  on  that  date  was  respectively  9i'’.o 
and  73°.o,  whereas  at  the  hotel  at  Paineiras,  on  the  Corcovado 


railway,  the  thermometer  registered  on  the  same  occasion  7 5°.  2 in 
the  day  and  64°. 4 at  night. 

When  the  Fluminenses  find  capital  and  courage  to  construct  a 
railway  to  the  highlands  at  the  rear  of  the  city,  now  so  difficult  of 
access,  they  will  realize  a most  profitable  enterprise,  and  confer  a 
great  boon  upon  themselves. 


Observations  taken  at  Pirapora,  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  the  thermo- 
meter being  suspended  inside  a grass-thatched  hut,  built 
upon  a slight  eminence  (the  coolest  place  in  the  neighbour- 
hootl) : — 


1874. 

Minimum. 

Maximum. 

Daily 

Minimum. 

1 

iiange.  j 

.Ma.\imnni.  | 

January  . 

63 

93 

71-82 

^ 1 
64-93  1 

February . 

(>4 

95 

69  85 

64-95 

March 

63 

94 

68-89 

65-92 

April  . . 

64 

91 

67-84 

68-95 

May  . . 

63 

93 

70-78 

66  83 

T line  . . 

49 

81 

64-71 

57  -91 

July  . . 

45 

93 

48—76 

47—93 

August  . 

46 

98 

54—73 

46-81 

September 

6i 

88 

64-89 

64-94 

October  . 

64 

90 

69-74 

64  -90 

November 

67 

88 

71-75 

67-88 

December 

67 

97 

76-83 

70-97 

Observations  at  Carinhanha,  Rio  Sao  Francisco.  , Thermometer 
suspended  in  corridor  of  a house  in  the  main  square  of  the 
city ; — 


Date. 

Time  of  Observations. 

Remarks. 

1875- 

7 a.m. 

10  a.  m. 

I p m. 

4 p m. 

March  5 

78 

82 

85 

88 

6 

76 

82 

92 

92 

• 7 

79 

86 

•88 

89 

8 

78 

81 

87 

89 

88 

Thunder  in  the  west. 

9 

75 

85 

78 

Thunderstorm  2‘30  to  3 30  p.m. 

10 

76 

80 

81 

80 

11 

75 

1 79 

84 

84 

Shower  mid-day.  Thunder  and 

strong  shower  in  evening 

3i8 


Temperature. 


Date. 

Time  of  Observations. 

! 

Remarks.  ' 

1875. 

7 a.m 

10  a.m. 

1 p.m. 

4 p.m. 

March  12 

76 

81 

86 

78 

Rain  2 to  3 p.m.  and  at  midnight.  ' 

13 

76 

. 80 

82 

81 

Rain  2 to  3 p.m.  Thunder  and  rain  ' 
10  p.m.  1 

14 

78 

80 

79 

77 

Rain  mid-day  and  in  evening.  j 

IS 

74 

77 

79 

79 

Rain  2 to  3 p.m.  Heavy  thunder- 
storm 5 to  6 p.m. 

16 

72 

76 

78 

80 

Fine  weather.  | 

17 

73 

76 

78 

79 

The  river  rose  1 1 inches  and  rapidly 
fell  9. 

18 

74 

79 

82 

86 

, 

19 

76 

78 

86 

88 

20 

77 

82 

86 

88 

21 

77 

82 

85 

86 

1 

22 

78 

88 

85 

84 

23 

78 

80 

82 

81 

Rain  7 a.m. 

24 

79 

80 

82 

84 

Strong  showers  in  the  S.E. 

25 

79 

80 

85 

84 

Strong  tempest  in  the  N.E. 

26 

78 

81 

82 

85 

27 

76 

83 

86 

85 

1 

28 

76 

80 

82 

80 

29 

72 

79 

81 

81 

Heavy  black  cumuli  clouds  all  day,  j 
passing  rapidly  to  N.  ' 

30 

72 

76 

78 

82 

i 

31 

70 

78 

82 

81 

April  I 

70 

74 

80 

80 

2 

68 

75 

80 

80 

1 

1 3 

69 

79 

81 

82 

4 

71 

80 

81 

84 

5 

72 

82 

81 

84 

6 

71 

80 

83 

86 

7 

72 

80 

84 

88 

Signs  of  rain  in  the  N.E.  | 

8 

76 

80 

91 

87 

Sharp  shower  7 a.m.  | 

i 9 

76 

83 

86 

85 

Two  sharp  showers  in  afternoon. 

' 10 

77 

82 

85 

82 

' II 

74 

84 

83 

83 

Two  light  showersduring  day.  Heavy 
rain  for  one  hour  at  midnight. 

12 

78 

79 

8S 

83 

'3 

78 

82 

81 

83 

14 

I 

77 

80 

83 

84 

Heavy  clouds.  At  4 p.m.  a thunder- 
storm passed  l>y  at  some  distance. 

' 15 

73 

81 

85 

84 

16 

76 

84 

84 

86 

Heavy  rain  for  two  hours  at  2 a.m. 

17 

74 

82 

87 

84 

18 

75 

82 

84 

84 

Two  light  showers  during  day. 

19 

72 

78 

82 

82 

Heavy  rain  9 to  i at  nighl. 

1 20 

73 

75 

78 

So 

Rain  from  6 ]i.m.  to  9 a m. 

21 

68 

72 

76 

76 

Rain  at  midii'ghl. 

1 22 

68 

7' 

72 

74 

• 

' 23 

68 

y6 

78 

76 

24 

70 

76 

78 

77 

! 

25 

69 

72 

84 

82 

26 

72 

82 

86 

84 

, 

27 

73 

78 

82 

tSo 

Temperatukk. 


319 


Time  of  Observations. 

Hate. 

1875. 

— 

— 

Remarks. 

7 a.m. 

10  a.m. 

1 p.m. 

4 p.m. 

.April  28 

69 

74 

81 

82 

29 

66 

71 

82 

82 

30 

70 

80 

80 

82 

•May  I 

72 

80 

86 

87 

2 

71 

7S 

81 

84 

3 

72 

79 

81 

84 

4 

70 

78 

81 

82 

Heavy  rain  to  E.  at  4 p.m.,  wind  then 

5 

73 

79 

82 

79 

veered  to  S.E.  I leavy  rain  in  S..S.E. 

6 

74 

Si 

84 

86 

Night  of  6tli  strong  gale  from  E. 

brought  storm  of  rain  and  thunder 

that  passed  to  N. 

7 

70 

77 

80 

So 

8 

68 

71 

78 

78 

9 

64 

72 

78 

So 

10 

66 

74 

So 

78 

I I 

64 

76 

79 

78 

12 

66 

78 

80 

79 

13 

66 

70 

79 

81 

14 

68 

71 

7i> 

82 

'5 

70 

79 

Si 

80 

16 

69 

75 

82 

8i 

Temperatures  observed  during  the  exploration  of  the  route  from 
Carinhanha  to  the  Rio  Paranan,  Rio  Tocantins.  N.B.  These 
readings,  especially  the  one  and  four  p.m.,  are  higher  than 
actual  shade  temperatures,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining 
a shady  resort  on  a journey  through  campos  lands  : — 


Date. 

Name  of  Locality. 

Distance 
in  miles 
from  Ca- 
rinhanha- 

Hours  of  Observations. 

Height 
above 
sea  level 
in  feet. 

7 a.m. 

10  a.m. 

I p.m. 

4 p.m. 

March  5 

Lagoa  do  Peixe 

10 

72 

88 

100 

82 

1534 

6 

y>  }f 

66 

95 

94 

96 

yt 

7 

) S J» 

75 

108 

103 

91 

ty 

8 

» I) 

„ 

84 

yt 

Curral  h'also 

33 

92 

33 

9 

Burity 

y) 

74 

yy 

45 

82 

yy 

10 

„ 

3) 

73 

» 

Rio  Itagrary 

00 

1599 

Carahyl)as 

66 

92 

80 

1853 

Temperature. 


20 


Date. 

Name  of  Locality. 

Distance 
in  miles 
from  Ca- 
rinhanha. 

Hours  of  Observations. 

Height 
above 
sea  level 
in  feet. 

7 a.m. 

zo  a.m 

I p.m. 

4 p.m. 

1 March  1 1 

Carahybas 

66 

75 

1902 

Cocos 

74 

85 

1852 

12 

73 

1839 

„ 

ff 

76 

1873 

I 14 

73 

77 

82 

83 

1892 

1 15 

74 

1880 

I 

„ 

74 

1869 

Rio  S.  Antonio 

82 

83 

1811 

Burity  Torto 

90 

80 

1891 

17 

„ „ 

74 

Rio  das  Pedras 

III 

83 

2037 

18 

J»  »» 

„ 

73 

n 

,, 

Rancho  Calande 

120 

88 

76 

2200 

19 

»♦  •» 

,, 

71 

Burity  Pintado 

140 

88 

2417 

20 

73 

,, 

Rio  Formosa 

152 

88 

2464 

i 21 

M 

74 

... 

» 

165 

78 

73 

2577 

22 

70 

82 

' 23 

180 

72 

82 

2614 

24 

190 

74 

79 

2624 

25 

200 

72 

80 

84 

82 

2714 

26 

71 

27 

206 

74 

78 

2753 

28 

,, 

219 

70 

88 

1814 

29 

)) 

227 

68 

84 

86 

94 

2858 

30 

ft 

ft 

69 

... 

.. 

Summit  of  divide 

233 

77 

2935 

,, 

Burity 

243 

85 

2637 

, 31 

Rio  Correntes 

250 

82 

85 

2521 

^ April  I 

>> 

>♦ 

66 

... 

» 

Sitio 

25s 

82 

2425 

2 

„ 

70 

76 

i» 

3 

„ 

75 

M 

4 

„ 

,, 

68 

s 

68 

>• 

6 

Rio  Correntes 

263 

86 

2398 

S.  Vidalgo 

274 

87 

*1 

7 

60 

M 

Ribeirao 

92 

2334 

8 

290 

74 

M 

9 

Dores 

309 

70 

2414 

»♦ 

S.  Pedro 

32s 

88 

2694 

I I 

Posse 

342 

73 

2629 

15 

Fazenda  do  Poco 

348 

72 

... 

82 

2714 

16 

Trombo 

360 

72 

... 

90 

205  8 

17 

Boa  Vista 

383 

73 

90 

... 

1922 

Valley  of  Paranan 

75 

1766 

’> 

Flores 

425 

... 

Temperature. 


3^ 


i 


Temperatures  observed  on  the  journey  from  Barra  do  Rio  Grande, 
on  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  to  the  city  of  Maranhao  : — 


Dates 

Locality. 

Hou 

Ob.sen 

7 a.m. 

rs  of 
nation. 

Distances 
from  Barra 
do  Kio 
Grande 
in  miles. 

1 

Heights  1 
above  sea 
in  feet. 

February  23 

Barra  do  Rio  Grande 

77 

1312 

March  3 

Boqueirao 

76 

66 

1412 

5 

Tamandua 

76 

80 

'430  1 

6 

Estreita 

74 

too 

'475 

7 

Galinheira 

70 

I2I 

1480 

8 

Santa  Rita 

78 

140 

1500 

1 " 

Gato 

76 

'57 

1512 

13 

Formosa 

72 

210 

1670 

1 April  4 

Vao 

70 

225 

1700 

5 

Santa  Maria 

73 

251 

'732 

! 9 

Brejo  Escuro 

73 

298 

i88o 

12 

Batalha 

65 

2 p.m. 

336 

2090 

13 

V^arjem  Bonito 

70 

342 

2140 

t, 

Summit  of  hills 

79 

2320  I 

14 

Source  Rio  Uiogo 

72 

350 

2070 

Camp 

71 

358 

1 70s 

1 16 

73 

12  a.m. 

1630 

,, 

Mouth  of  Brejao 

82 

369 

1605 

19 

Source  Somninho 

83 

373 

1682 

21 

Passage  ,,  No.  i 

76 

379 

1485 

24 

„ „ No.  2 

76 

424 

1060 

28 

Mouth  Rio  Preto 

84 

435 

907 

29 

Porto  Franco 

76 

457 

8'5 

May  t 

Rio  do  Somno 

76 

740 

4 

9i 

77 

670 

5 

yy 

75 

645 

6 

y y 

Mouth  Rio  do  Somno 

76 

622 

8 

76 

610 

>> 

Pedro  Alfonso 

76 

584 

663 

Great  as  is  the  vast  extent  of  Brazil,  the  climate  of  north  and 
south  does  not  show  any  very  great  extremes  of  heat  or  cold. 
Eg}’pt  is  hotter  in  the  summer,  and  Spain  is  always  colder  in 
the  winter.  The  Amazons,  which  traverses  the  region  of  the  equator, 
is  not  by  any  means  such  a torrid  zone  as  its  position  would  leave 
one  to  suppose.  A two  years’  residence  at  S.  Antonio,  on  the  Rio 
Madeira,  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  regions  of  the  Amazons  basin, 
showed  a general  highest  average  by  day,  of  82° — 88°,  and  lowest 
VOL.  II.  Y 


Temperature, 


322 

at  night  69° — 75°,  but  on  one  or  two  exceptional  occasions  in  day- 
time the  thermometer  registered  95°. 

At  Pernambuco,  about  8°  south  latitude,  the  thermometer  rarely 
exceeds  84°,  or  descends  lower  than  65°. 

In  the  south,  in  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  and  Parana,  the  range  of 
temperature  is  much  greater  than  in  the  central  and  northern  regions. 
Here  slight  frosts  occur  in  the  winter  nights,  whereas  in  the  summer 
daytime  the  thermometer  will  reach  as  high,  or  even  a higher  degree 
of  temperature  than  any  part  of  the  tropical  sections  of  Brazil. 

The  equable  and  comparative  mildness  of  temperature  of  the 
Brazilian  coast,  and  of  the  elevated  table-lands  of  the  interior,  is 
due  to  the  trade-winds  that  so  unfailingly  sweep  the  land  with  their 
pure  and  refreshing  breezes,  and  carry  away  and  dissipate  the  malaria 
generated  by  the  swamps  of  the  low  shores  of  the  northern  coast, 
that  otherwise  would  probably  be  as  unhealthy  as  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa.  It  is  only  in  deep  valleys,  or  where  localities  are  shut  out 
from  the  winds  of  the  ocean  by  surrounding  highlands  like  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  that  the  thermometer  occasionally  shows  a high  degree  of 
temperature. 


PUBLIC  HEALTH  OF  RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 

STATISTICS  OF  THE  MORTALITY  OF  RIO  DE  JANEIRO  AND  ITS  SUBURBS, 
OBTAINED  FROM  OFFICIAL  PUBLICATIONS. 

Unfortunately  there  is  no  certain  data  to  accurately  determine  the 
number  of  the  present  population  of  this  area,  but  I believe  that 
400,000  will  fairly  represent  it,  although  such  an  estimate  will 
perhaps  be  considered  by  many,  to  be  quite  a maximum  amount. 

During  the  last  year  (1885)  the  total  mortality  was  10,182,  dis- 
tributed as  follows : — 


Sex. 

Condition. 

NAtionality. 

Masculine 

Feminine 

6332 

3850 

Free 

Slaves 

9S81 

301 

Hrazilians 

Foreigners 

7112 

3070 

Public  Health  of  Rio  he  Janeiro. 


Ages. 

Localities. 

o to  7 years 

2363. 

Private  houses 

6847 

71025  ,, 

>494 

Hospitals 

3358 

25  to  40  ,, 

2026 

Highways 

4 

40  to  55  „ 

1678 

The  sea 

23 

Above  55  ,, 

181 1 

Unknown 

810 

1st  half  of  year  5201. 

2nd 

4981. 

Causes  ok 

Mortality. 

Consumption 

1754 

Various  fevers  . 

!93 

Various  causes 

1624 

Violent  deaths . 

196 

Heart 

1232 

Lockjaw  of  newborn 

.Stillborn 

793 

children 

178 

Bronchitis,  &c. 

654 

Convulsions 

13' 

Digestive  organs  . 

581 

Lymphatic  diseases  . 

'3' 

Cerebro-spinal 

555 

Consumption  of  the 

Pernicious  fever 

545 

bowels . 

'30 

Apoplexy 

480 

Diarrhoea . 

55 

Yellow  fever  . 

374 

Djsentery 

4' 

Liver 

289 

Erysipelas 

39 

Typhoid  fever 

206 

Smallpox 

4 

Mortality 

FROM  VARIOUS 

Fevers  from  1877  to  1885. 

1878. 

1879. 

1880. 

1881. 

1882. 

1S83. 

1884.  1885. 

Yellow  fever 

"74 

974 

'433 

912 

95 

'336 

618  374 

Pernicious  fever  . 

668 

552 

555 

472 

600 

426  545 

Typhoid  fever  . 

208 

168 

'78 

186 

160 

157  206 

Other  fevers 

285 

214 

208 

'70 

749 

352 

'35  '93 

Measles 

52 

42 

'4 

4 

'49 

15 

Smallpox  . 

2175 

197 

27 

'27 

937 

1366 

89  4 

4562 

2147 

24' 5 

00 

1781 

3963 

1440  1322 

As  will  be  seen  by  the  table  of  fever  mortality  during  the  past 
eight  years,  Rio  de  Janeiro  has  considerably  improved  its  sanitary 
condition.!  The  deaths  from  yellow  fever  average  in  different 

! Since  the  foregoing  observations  were  written,  this  year  (i8S6)  having  proved 
to  have  been  an  unusually  hot  season,  yellow  fever  has  been  again  very  prevalent, 
still  despite  the  high  temperature  of  the  first  months  of  the  year,  not  to  such  an 
extent  as  in  former  years  ; it  has  however  extended  the  area  of  its  ravages,  for 


Y 2 


324 


Yellow  Fever  and  Ague. 


years  from  about  i to  lo  per  cent,  of  the  total  mortality.  The 
victims  of  yellow  fever  are  generally  newly  arrived  foreigners  (chiefly 
young  men,  who  are  often  careless  in  their  habits,  or  in  the 
exercise  of  precautions  indispensable  to  an  unacclimatized  stranger), 
the  countryman  fresh  from  the  interior;  jack-ashore,  or  working  in 
the  sun,  and  sleeping  in  the  dews  of  night;  and  the  inhabitant 
debilitated  by  a general  bad  state  of  health,  from  too  long  a resi- 
dence in  a tropical  climate  ; but  sometimes  the  disease  will,  despite 
all  precautions,  seize  a quiet-living  old  resident,  or  a lady  who 
may  have  come  from  a healthy  suburb  into  the  infected  city  for  a 
little  shopping. 

The  several  varieties  of  marsh  fevers  that  are  prevalent  in 
many  parts  of  the  interior  require  conditions  to  promote  an  attack 
quite  the  reverse  of  those  of  yellow  fever,  for  a healthy  newly- 
arrived  foreigner  can  generally  travel  through  a malarious  district  with 
comparative  impunity,  even  when  the  local  inhabitants  are  one  and 
all  suffering  from  the  endemical  fevers,  and  even  if  the  stranger 
becomes  a resident  he  will  be  less  liable  to  an  attack  than  the 
natives.  But  in  some  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Amazons,  these  fevers 
will  sometimes  assume  an  extremely  malignant  form,  and  of  the  india- 
rubber  gatherers  that  yearly  proceed  up  the  river,  thousands  never 
return.  The  Rio  Purus  especially,  has  a notable  reputation  for  the 
occasionally  deadly  character  of  its  climate. 

many  inland  towns,  and  many  cities  of  the  coast,  have  this  year  been  visited  for 
the  first  time  by  the  fell  disease.  As  usual  the  epidemic  ceased  with  the  approach 
of  the  cool  season  in  May  to  September. 


32  5 


APPENDIX  D. 

GOLD  AND  DIAMOND  MINING  IN  BRAZIL. 

Probably  there  is  no  other  part  of  the  world  where  gold  has 
been  scattered  so  broadcast  over  so  large  an  area  as  in  Brazil  ; 
from  north  to  south,  east  to  west,  it  is  met  with,  either 
in^  quartz  or  alluvial,  and  there  is  hardly  a single  province  in 
which  it  is  not  found.  A certain  Antonio  Rodrigues,  a native  of 
Taubate,  in  Sao  Paulo,  is  credited  with  having  discovered  it  in 
1693.  In  those  days,  what  are  now  provinces  were  then  called 
capitanias,  each  one  under  a governor,  and  practically  independent 
of  each  other.'  MTien  the  Paulistas  of  Taubate  made  the  gold  dis- 
covery, they  endeavoured  to  exclude  new  arrivals  from  Europe  and 
the  neighbouring  capitanias  from  sharing  their  find,  and  finally,  in 
1708,  under  the  leadership  of  a Manoel  de  Borba  Gato,  they  sought 
to  expel  all  intruders  ; thus  commenced  the  wars  of  the  Caboclos  and 
Emboabas,  that  after  many  skirmishes  ended  in  the  party  of  Paulistas 
being  treacherously  betrayed  and  killed  to  a man.  The  scene  of 
the  massacre  was  near  Sao  Joao  del  Rey,  and  thus  was  originated 
the  name  of  the  Rio  dos  Mortes  (River  of  the  Dead)  that  passes 
near  the  city. 

This  is  only  one  of  the  many  recorded  instances  of  the  anarchy 
and  ruffianism  that  existed  in  those  early  days  in  the  wild  interior 
of  the  country,  but  despite  all  difficulties  and  privations,  the  old 
colonists,  evidently  full  of  “ go  ” and  a spirit  of  enterprise,  spread 
themselves  over  the  face  of  the  land,  and  penetrated  to  distant 
localities  in  Goyaz  and  IMatto  Grosso,  where  the  existing  vestiges 

' This  may  perhaps  have  originated  the  plural  of  “ The  Brazils,”  as  it  is  stil 
occasionally  spoken  of  in  the  foreign  correspondence  section  of  newspapers. 


Gold-mining. 


326 

of  the  old  workings  show  that  an  immense  amount  of  work  was  done, 
hills  were  bored  or  levelled,  whole  valleys  and  districts  were  turned 
over.  Sluicing  was  largely  employed,  and  water  was  conducted  in 
open  channels,  sometimes  for  thirty  or  forty  miles,  over  generally 
most  rugged  country,  and  an  immense  number  of  labourers  must 
have  been  engaged  in  the  operations. 

In  1713  the  Colonial  government  exacted  a royalty  of  one-fifth 
(Quinta  Real)  from  the  gross  proceeds  of  all  mines,  but  despite  its 
jealous  care  it  must  have  been  extremely  difficult  to  prevent 
smuggling,  or  operations  in  distant  localities  far  away  from  official 
inspection  ; yet  even  so,  it  is  marvellous  to  read  in  the  archives  of 
Ouro  Preto  of  the  fabulous  sums  received  in  payment  of  the  royalty, 
much  of  which  helped  to  rebuild  Lisbon  after  the  earthquake  of 
1755- 

All  this  vast  mining  interest  practically  ceased  about  seventy  ,|o 
eighty  years  ago,  probably  owing  to  the  exhaustion  of  the  old 
workings,  or  the  increased  cost  and  dearth  of  slave  and  Indian 
labour;  still  I cannot  but  help  having  the  opinion  that  Brazil  will  yet 
be  a great  gold  and  diamond  mining  country  ; there  are  many  reasons 
both  for  and  against  such  a belief. 

Against. 

I St.  That  hitherto  most  of  the  efforts  made  by  foreigners  and 
natives  to  re-develop  some  of  the  old  abandoned  workings  have 
ended  in  failure,  for  the  old  miners  did  their  work  most  effectually 
and  often  scientifically,  and  picked  the  bone  thoroughly  clean. 

2nd.  'I'hat  practical  Californian  miners  have  prospected  parts  of 
the  country  and  have  met  with  no  prizes. 

3rd.  That  at  present  there  is  no  individual  prospecting  by  natives 
that  corresponds  to  that  of  the  old  Californian  who  trudges  into  the 
recesses  of  the  Rockies,  to  hunt  for  himself,  and  toils,  and  suffers 
]>rivations  that  he  would  never  endure  for  any  wages,  no  matter  how 
great. 

For. 

That  taking  into  consideration  the  enormous  area  of  Brazil, 
and  especially  of  the  vast  tracts  that  yet  have  never  been  trodden 


Gold-mining. 


327 


by  man,  except  by  the  wandering  Indian, 2 it  is  only  feasible  to 
suppose  that  there  are  yet  as  “ good  fish  in  the  sea  as  ever  were 
caught,”  or  in  other  words,  it  is  impossible  to  believe  that  the  few  pin’s- 
points  on  the  map  of  Brazil  that  represent  the  position  of  old  and 
present  mines  can  possibly  be  the  only  auriferous  deposits  that  exist. 
It  is  contrary  to  one’s  reason  to  suppose  so.  The  trouble  is  to  find 
out  the  prizes ; it  may  be  like  searching  for  a needle  in  a haystack, 
but  the  needle  is  there,  and  many  more  besides.  I should  like 
to  get  a half-dozen  practical,  hardy  Californians  or  Australians, 
and  direct  them  where  to  go  in  Brazil.  I feel  convinced  I could 
put  them  on  the  right  road,  by  prospecting  unexplored  regions 
in  a continuation  of  the  now  easily-traced  lines  of  gold-bearing 
country. 

Of  late  years  there  has  been  a considerably  increased  national 
interest  shown  towards  gold-mining,  and  the  minister  of  Agriculture 
is  constantly  receiving  applications  for  concessions  to  explore  alleged 
auriferous  lands,  but  many  of  these  concessions  are  required,  not  so 
much  for  a hova  fide  exploration,  but  as  something  to  sell  to  pro- 
moters of  companies,  certainly  at  present  the  most  lucrative  system  of 
gold-mining  in  Brazil.  One  very  ’cute,  but  apparently  simple- 
minded  Minerio,  succeeded  in  disposing  of  a concession  to  an 
American  company ; the  capital  was  raised,  and  costly  machinery 
sent  by  a long  and  arduous  journey  to  the  interior  of  Minas  Geraes, 
but  on  commencing  operations  the  land  was  proved  goldless  ; it  had 
been  cleverly  “ salted.”  The  well-known  American  mining  engineer 
who  had  been  sent  to  report  upon  the  property,  was  accompanied 
in  his  prospecting  operations  by  the  simple-looking  countrjman, 
the  concessionaire,  who  declared  that  gold  was  everywhere,  and 
lovingly  tapped  with  his  walking-stick  every  pan  the  engineer  per- 
sonally tested,  and  made  some  apparently  casual  remarks  upon  its 
riches.  This  walking-stick  was  hollow,  and  filled  with  gold  dust, 
and  ingeniously  contrived  to  let  a little  fall  out  when  required.  Not 
bad  for  a matuto. 

Near  Sao  Joao  d’  El  Rey  I have  panned  gold  really  from  the  dust  of 
the  highway,  and  all  the  country  round  about  is  literally  peppered 
with  gold,  still  it  would  not  pay  to  work,  as  it  is  very  minutely 

* There  are  many  perfectly  unknown  regions  within,  too  miles  of  the  coast. 


Gold-mining. 


328 

scattered.  The  land  is  above  the  water-level,  and  there  is  no  place 
to  dump  ” the  washings.  The  old  miners  have  pretty  effectually 
cleaned  out  the  workable  placers  of  this  district,  even  to  deviating 
the  course  of  a river. 

In  vol.  i.,  page  328,  I quoted  an  example  of  what  one  man  can  do 
alone  with  pick  and  pan  in  favourable  districts  such  as  the  Rio  Para- 
catu ; and  in  the  district  of  Diamantina  there  is  still  a verj’  considerable 
amount  of  diamond-mining  carried  on,  of  which  the  outside  world 
knows  absolutely  nothing. 

Brazil  has  largely  supplied  the  world  with  diamonds,  and  still 
continues  to  do  so,  but  no  one  ever  reads  in  any  Brazilian  newspaper 
of  any  account  of  these  mines  or  workings.  They  are  possibly  so 
profitable  that  the  miners  may  consider  it  is  just  as  well  to  keep  their 
results  of  working  only  known  to  their  good  selves. 

The  English  have  made  many  attempts  at  quartz  mining  in 
Brazil,  and  out  of  many  failures,  only  one,  the  Sao  Joao  d’El  Rey 
Company  has  proved  a success,  this  mine  has  returned  its  capital 
over  and  over  again.  It  is  now  the  deepest  mine  in  Brazil,’  and  a 
most  substantial  undertaking,  conducted  at  veiy’  great  expense. 
There  is  no  evidence  to  fear  that  it  may  be  soon  exhausted,  but 
whether  it  will  ever  again  recover  its  once  palmy  days  will  largely 
depend  upon  the  administration,  for  the  peculiar  conditions  of  the 
mine  require  special  treatment.  The  name  of  the  company  is  mis- 
leading as  to  the  present  situation  of  the  mine ; originally  a shaft  was 
sunk  at  the  city  of  Sao  Joao  d’El  Rey,  that  was  eventually  abandoned, 
and  the  company  commenced  their  present  operations  at  Morro 
Velho  near  the  Rio  das  Velhas.  Captain  Burton,  in  his  “High- 
lands of  the  Brazil,”  gives  most  complete  and  minute  details  of 
this  and  the  other  English  mines  in  the  neighbourhood. 

1'he  present  condition  of  the  mining  laws  in  Brazil  is  veiy  un- 
satisfactory, mainly  on  account  of  the  uncertainty  that  prevails,  for  it 
has  never  been  definitely  decided  whether  mineral  deposits  belong 
to  the  State,  to  the  owner  of  the  property,  or  to  the  finder,  conse- 
quently a concession  of  rights  to  mine  is  often  worded  differently 
by  dift'erent  ministers,  according  to  the  construction  that  they  or  their 
advisers  may  put  upon  the  law. 

’ Tlic  sliafls  arc  inclined  planes  about  2000  fathom>i  in  length. 


Goi.d-mining. 


329 


There  is  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  from  the  Government  a sole 
right  to  explore  a given  district  within  a given  area,  that  secures  to 
the  prospector  a monopoly  of  the  district  for  two  years  ; to  after- 
wards make  good  his  right  to  mine,  he  has  to  present  to  the 
Government,  before  the  expiration  of  this  period,  topographical  and 
geological  maps  of  the  district,  with  various  items  of  information. 
Then  he  must  be  prepared  to  satisfy  the  landowner,  although  he  may 
be  told  that  the  owner  has  no  right  to  compensation  for  the  minerals 
in  his  land,  but  the  Brazilian  matuto  has  a very  inconvenient  way 
of  settling  such  legal  questions,  and  it  is  just  as  well  to  have 
everything  satisfactorily  adjusted  with  the  owner,  or  trouble  will  sure 
to  ensue. 

If  the  concessionaire  has  fulfilled  all  his  obligations  in  carrying  out 
his  explorations,  he  will  be  granted  a right  to  select,  within  the  limits 
of  the  area  indicated  in  his  preliminary  concession,  fifty  datas  or 
squares  of  827  metres.  Having  selected  which  his  rights  over  the 
rest  of  the  ground  explored  will  cease.- 


STATISTICS  OF  BRAZILIAN*  RAILWAYS  IN  TRAFFIC,  CONSTRUCTION,  AND  PROJECT,  TO  END  OF  18S4. 

The  LARGE  TYPE  indicate!;  the  lines  belonging  to  the  State,  the  smaller  type  the  National  Companies,  the  italics  the  English  Companies. 

N.B. — 1:000$  = a conto  ; or  1:000  milreis  at  the  par  value  of  27  pence  = Zna  lor.  od,  ; or  1:000:000$  = ,^112,500  or.  o^f. 


»45*<»5 


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332 


APPENDIX  E. 


RAILWAYS. 

Brazilian  State  Railways. 

The  Don  Pedro  Segundo.  This  is  the  most  important  railway  in 
the  empire,  in  its  length,  its  traffic,  and  its  cost.  It  is  admirably 
situated,  for  it  receives  the  whole  of  the  exports  and  imports  of 
Minas  Geraes,  and  the  rich  coffee  districts  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Parahyba.  The  main  line  extends  to  beyond  Queluz,  and  a long 
length  is  now  in  course  of  construction  to  extend  the  line  finally 
to  the  neighbourhood  of  Sahara  on  the  Rio  das  Velhas.  Another 
branch  to  Ouro  Preto,  the  capital  of  Minas  Geraes,  is  also 
under  construction.  These  two  last  sections  will  for  many  years 
greatly  diminish  the  profits  of  the  railway,  for  the  insignificant 
traffic  will  have  to  be  carried  on  with  a very  considerable 
excess  of  expense  over  receipts.  Immigration  to  these  districts  is 
practically  nil,  and  a very  large  proportion  of  the  land  is  only  fit 
for  a meagre  pasturage  for  cattle ; still  there  are  scattered  amidst  the 
hills  and  mountains  many  valleys  and  hollows,  where  a very  fair 
soil  exists,  sufficient  to  yield  abundant  produce,  even  with  the 
present  number  of  inhabitants,  if  they  were  only  fairly  industrious, 
but  I fear  that  even  the  presence  of  the  railway  in  their  midst  will 
fail  to  stir  them  up  to  more  vigorous  action. 


The  D.  Pedro  II.  Railway. 
DOM  PEDRO  SEGUNDO  RAILWAY. 


PASSENGER  AND  TRAFFIC  RETURNS  .\ND  EXPENSES 
IN  VARIOUS  YEARS. 


Passenger  and  goods  traffic. 

Number  of 

Amounts  in  milreis. 

Passengers. 

Miles 

open. 

Receipts,  j 

Expenses. 

Balance. 

Suburbs. 

Main  line. 

IS5S 

38 

1 

295:845$' 

172:092$ 

•23:7538 

... 

• 15,  ^^2 

1861 

43 

1:099:815$ 

697:836$ 

401:979$ 

•36.559 

279.380 

1863 

55 

1:001:997$^ 

854:109$ 

147:888$ 

160, 122 

304.766 

1866 

««7 

I :858:076$ 

847:8458 

1:010:231$ 

233.246 

405.529 

1869 

126 

4:325:817$ 

I :$45:662$ 

2:480:159$ 

531.068 

778.543 

1871 

•47 

5:434:984$ 

2:387:677$ 

3:047:307$ 

583.201 

903.470 

1874 

233 

7:604:032$ 

3:381:894$ 

4:222:438$ 

785.4^3 

• .230. 1^4 

1878 

348 

9:970:500$ 

5:447:7948 

4:522:706$ 

1,474,089 

2.193.357 

1881 

403 

13:067:911$ 

5:605:765$ 

7:462:145$ 

1,852,970 

2.755.487 

1884 

453 

11:502:561$ 

6:503:029$ 

j 4:909:533$ 

2, 170,206 

3.^25.^27 

188s 

453 

12:212:955$ 

6:368:496$ 

5:844:458$ 

2,475.269 

2,489,225 

The  table  of  the  number  of  passengers  and  the  traffic  returns  tells 
a very  eloquent  story  of  the  wonderful  progress  of  this  section  of 
the  empire.  The  suburban  passenger  traffic  is  indicative  of  the  growth 
of  the  city ; that  of  the  main  line  shows  the  increased  movement, 
or  travelling  of  the  people,  for  it  has  become  augmented  out  of  all 
proportion  to  the  increase  of  population.  The  last  fifty  miles  of 
the  railway  passes  through  comparatively  unproductive  land,  where 
the  sparse  traffic  has  run  up  the  working  expenses,  and  the  total 
receipts  have  even  diminished  from  i88i  to  1885.  Still,  although 
the  railway  may  not  be  able  to  look  for  greater  profits  in  this 
direction,  it  may  reasonably  expect  an  improvement  from  the 
further  development  of  its  twelve  tributary  railways  actually  in 
traffic,  many  of  which  are  prolonging  their  lengths,  so  as  the  good 
prospects  will  balance  the  evil  ones  of  the  future,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  Dom  Pedro  II.  railway  will  still  continue 
to  be  an  important  contributor  to  the  revenue  of  the  State,  and  well 
it  is  so,  in  order  to  balance  the  appalling  deficiencies  of  the  eight 


334 


State  Railways. 


other  State  railways,  only  one  of  which,  the  Baturite,  gives  a small 
profit.  This  railway  and  the  Sobral,  both  in  the  northern  province 
of  Ceard,  and  the  Paulo  Affonso,  on  the  margins  of  the  lower  Rio 
Sao  Francisco,  were  built  by  the  State  in  order  to  get  some  return, 
or  work  done,  for  the  food  it  supplied  to  the  starving  thousands 
during  the  great  famine  in  the  north  of  Brazil  in  1877,  i8j8,  1879. 

The  prolongation  by  the  State,  of  the  Bahia  and  Sao  Francisco 
railway  is  a gigantic  error,  save  for  perhaps  strategic  purposes,  as 
is  also  the  extension  of  the  Recife  and  Sao  Francisco.  Both  of 
these  new  lines  traverse  a wild  and  chiefly  sterile  country ; that  of 
the  Bahia  especially,  is  a howling  desert  practically  devoid  of 
streams,  good  soil,  or  inhabitants.  The  object  of  both  of  these 
lines  is  to  reach  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  where  the  present  traffic 
and  the  utter  absence  of  immigrants  is  far  below  being  able  to 
provide  remunerative  returns  for  the  costly  outlay  on  the  long  lines 
of  either  one  of  the  railways,  much  less  for  both.  There  are  more 
hopeful  prospects  for  the  Caruarii  line,  in  Pernambuco,  for  it  traverses 
an  old  agricultural  district,  fairly  well  stocked  with  sugar  estates. 
The  Porto  Alegre  and  Cacequay,  in  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  will  also 
probably  soon  prove  remunerative,  for  it  is  in  one  of  the  few  provinces 
to  which  immigrants  are  now  flocking.' 

Cantagallo.  This  railway  is  owned  by  the  Provincial  Government 
of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  A part  of  the  line,  between  seven  and  eight 
miles,  is  constructed  with  the  “Fell”  system  of  central  rail,  in  order 
to  make  the  sharp  ascent  from  the  plains  to  the  elevated  highlands 
of  Novo  Friburgo.  Since  1878  the  line  has  always  earned  a small 
profit,  and  last  year,  1885,  owing  chiefly  to  a more  economical 
administration,  the  pro'fits  of  the  year’s  working  reached  a little 
over  five  per  cent,  of  capital.  It  traverses  coffee  and  sugar  regions, 
and  a country  that  is  being  steadily,  if  slowly  developed.  The 
climate  of  the  highlands  is  delightful,  and  although  the  soil  gene- 
rally is  poor,  there  is  yet  considerable  tracts,  or  rather  patches  of 
excellent  land  waiting  for  development.  The  future  of  the  line  is 
secure  and  very  promising. 

> The  extention  (1885)  of  railways  in  traffic  built  and  owned  by  the  State,  is 
1067  miles,  the  cost  of  which  .at  the  jiar  value  of  the  milreis  has  been  about 
17,193,224/.,  and  the  nett  receipts  of  all  these  lines  produce  about  3i  per  cent  on 
the  capital  employed. 


Brazilian  National  Railways.  335 

The  National  Companies’  Lines. 

Mogyana.  This  Sao  Paulo  railway  is  the  most  successful  national 
line  in  Brazil,  not  only  owing  to  the  fertile  district  it  traverses,  but 
also  to  the  economy  of  cost  of  construction  and  the  able  manage- 
ment of  its  administrators.  For  some  time  past,  it  has  been  earning 
progressively  increasing  dividends,  and  is  already  paying  to  the 
province  amounts  received  during  its  earlier  days  for  guarantees  of 
interest.  The  last  half-year  showed  a profit  of  si.xteen  per  cent,  on 
main  line  and  Amparo  branch,  and  seven  per  cent,  on  Rio  Preto 
branch,  .\lthough  coffee  forms  a large  item  in  its  traffic,  yet  the 
line  is  not  dependent  on  this  production  alone  for  its  goods  traffic 
Its  five  per  cent,  debentures  are  quoted  on  the  London  Stock  Ex- 
change, and  offer  as  sound  an  investment  as  any  one  need  desire. 
Its  ordinary  shares  are  quoted  in  Rio  at  50  per  cent,  premium 
The  company  is  extending  its  line  to  the  navigable  waters  and 
fertile  regions  of  the  Rio  Grande,  under  a guarantee  of  7 per  cent, 
from  the  general  Government. 

West  of  Sao  Paulo  or  Paidista  raihvay.  This  is  a continuation 
of  the  English  Sao  Paulo  line,  from  Jundiahy  to  Campinas.  The 
concession  was  originally  offered  to  the  Sao  Paulo  Company,  but 
being  unwisely  refused,  a national  company  was  at  once  formed,  and 
the  capital  raised  in  Sao  Paulo.  The  Province  originally  guaranteed 
7 per  cent,  on  a quarter  of  present  capital,  it  is  a most  prosperous 
line,  and  its  profits  are  steadily  increasing.  It  now  pays  dividends 
of  1 1.2  per  cent,  and  the  shares  are  25  per  cent,  premium. 

Sao  Carlos  and  Rio  Claro.  This  is  another  successful  Sao  Paulo 
railway.  The  capital  was  raised  without  any  guarantee,  and  the 
cost  of  its  construction  is  the  cheapest  of  any  i.oo  m.  guage  railway  in 
Brazil.  Its  traffic  is  increasing  rapidly.  It  pays  10  per  cent.,  and 
its  shares  are  5 per  cent,  premium. 

The  Grao  Para  or  Petropolis  line,  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  is  a continua- 
tion of  the  first  railway  built  in  Brazil,  the  old  Maua  railway.  It  is 
now  a decided  success,  and  pays  9 per  cent,  dividends.  The  shares 
are  25  per  cent,  premium. 

These  four  railways  are  the  only  ones  whose  ordinary  shares 
realize  a premium  on  the  Rio  Stock  Exchange. 

The  Leopoldina  is  the  chief  tributary  line  of  the  Dom  Pedro  II. 


336 


Brazilian  National  Railways. 


railway.  The  company  is  most  enterprising  and  energetic,  and  the 
line  is  now  one  of  the  most  important  railways  in  the  empire.  As 
yet,  its  traffic  does  not  earn  the  dividends,  that  have  to  be  made 
up  by  the  help  of  guarantees,  but  as  the  line  traverses  a rich  and 
fertile  zone  (much  of  it  hitherto  undeveloped),  and  the  inhabitants 
display  an  unusual  degree  of  “go”  and  enterprise,  there  is  a good 
future  before  it.  At  present  it  pays  7 per  cent,  dividends  on  the 
ordinary  shares  that  are  quoted  at  28  per  cent,  discount.  The 
capital  is  30,969,600$  in  ordinary  shares,  and  500,000/.  in  6 per 
cent,  debentures.  The  expenses  are  approximately  50  per  cent,  of 
receipts,  and  the  profits  are  about  equal  to  2 per  cent,  of  capital. 

Campos  and  Carangola  is  a progressively  improving  line.  In 
the  first  half  of  1884,  it  received  139,902$  from  the  general  Govern- 
ment to  make  up  dividends,  but  in  the  similar  period  of  1885,  it 
only  required  84,448$.  The  traffic  now  earns  a profit  equal  to  3 per 
cent,  of  capital.  The  ordinary  shares,  at  35  per  cent,  discount,  receive 
5 per  cent,  dividends  on  nominal  value,  the  5^  per  cent,  debentures 
are  not  quoted. 

Macahe  atid  Campos  traverses  almost  entirely,  one  of  the  most 
important  sugar-producing  regions  of  Brazil.  A company  without 
any  guaranteed  interest,  it  has  during  the  last  few  years  worked  its 
way  from  almost  bankruptcy  to  a prosperous  condition.  The  shares, 
once  80  per  cent,  discount,  attained  20  per  cent,  premium,  but  since 
the  amalgamation  with  the  S.  Antonio  de  Padua  railway  they  have 
suffered  another  relapse  of  50  per  cent.,  but  the  line  is  prosperous. 
The  profits  increased  from  645,349$  in  1882,  to  697,067$  in  1884, 
the  latter  being  equivalent  to  8.7  per  cent,  of  capital,  but  this 
balance  is  now  absorbed  in  settling  temporary  obligations  acquired 
in  its  amalgamation  with  the  S.  Antonio  de  Padua. 

An  inspection  of  the  accompanying  tables  will  show  the  capital 
and  traffic  results  of  the  other  national  lines  whose  dividends  are 
all  dependent  on  guarantees  on  the  whole  or  part  of  their  capitals. 
There  is  one  unfortunate  line,  the  Bahia  and  Minas,  constructed  by 
the  aid  of  a provincial  contribution  of  9000$  per  kilometre,  that  is  a 
“white  elephant”  to  its  proprietors  the  builders,  for  in  1884  the 
traffic  was  insignificant  and  the  expenses  more  than  double  the  amount 
of  receipts,  and  there  is  no  guaranteed  interest  to  help  it  to  wait  for 
better  times. 


F 


IiNGLisii  Railway  Comi’ames.  337 

The  English  Railway  Companies. 

The  Sho  Pai/io,'  from  Cam|)os  to  Jundiahy.  This  successful  line 
is  intrinsically  superior  to  any  other  English  railway  in  Brazil, 
and  there  are  very  few  in  any  part  of  the  world  that  have  jiroved 
such  a financial  success,  although  its  cost  of  construction  per  mile  is 
greater  than  any  other  railway  in  the  country.  This  great  expense  was 
caused  by  the  abrupt  ascent  from  the  coast  to  the  high  level  of  the 
table-land  of  Sao  Paulo.  Part  of  the  line  consists  of  inclined  planes 
with  stationary  engines.  To  end  of  financial  year,  1883-4,  the  com- 
pany had  returned  to  the  State,  from  profits  of  traffic,  the  sum  of 
334,091/.,  derived  from  the  half  of  net  revenue  exceeding  8 percent 
There  is  no  reason  to  fear  any  permanent  drop  in  the  present  high 
quotations  of  the  shares  on  the  London  Stock  Exchange,  for  the  ex- 
tension of  railways  in  the  province  of  Sao  Paulo  is  making  great 
strides,  and  the  whole  of  their  traffic  must  pass  through  the  toll-gate 
of  the  Sao  Paulo  railway,  and  whatever  changes  may  occur  in  the 
Government  or  the  country,  this  traffic  should  be  always  increasing. 

It  is  a “ far  cry  ” from  the  prosperity  of  the  Sao  Paulo  to  the 
financial  conditions  of  the  other  English  railways,  all  of  which  are, 
without  exception,  dependent  on  the  State  for  their  dividends.  I 
will  mention  them  in  their  present  order  of  merit,  or  ratio  of  ex- 
penses to  receipts  as  existed  at  the  end  of  1884. 

Recife  and  Sao  Francisco.  This  is  the  oldest  English  line  in 
Brazil,  and  in  1884,  af^er  over  a quarter  of  a century  of  existence,  its 
expenses  were  62.1  per  cent,  of  its  receipts,  and  its  profits  equal  to 
nearly  2^  per  cent,  of  capital.  It  serves  a rich  sugar  region,  where 
the  traffic,  like  most  of  the  lines  in  North  Brazil,  is  entirely  influenced 
by  the  good  or  bad  crops.  From  1873  fo  1882  the  passenger 
traffic  showed  practically  no  difference,  the  goods  traffic  increased 
barely  30  per  cent.  In  1884  the  receipts  w'ere  much  the  same,  but 
expenses  diminished  15  per  cent.  The  Company  has  paid  5^  per 
pent,  dividends  on  its  capital  stock  since  1876. 

Bahia  and  Sao  Francisco.  This  raihvay,  opened  to  traffic  in 
j i860,  has  ever  since  shown  the  most  deplorable  results.  From  i860 

1 to  1882  there  w’ere  seventeen  annual  deficits  and  six  annual  small 

^ Commonly  called  San  Paulo,  a title  that  is  neither  English  nor  Portuguese. 

VOL.  II. 


Z 


338 


English  Railway  Companies. 


balances  to  the  good ; and  in  the  last  six  months,  ending  December 
31st,  1885,  the  railway  barely  cleared  its  working  expenses.  It 
has  been  all  this  long  time  a most  crucial  test  of  the  value  of  the 
State  guarantees,  for  more  than  150%  of  the  whole  cost  of  the  line 
has  been  paid  to  the  company  for  guaranteed  interest.  A branch 
line  to  Timbo  is  now  in  course  of  construction.  This  branch 
traverses  a fertile  region,  fairly  populated,  and  yielding  a considerable 
amount  of  produce.  Great  hopes  are  built  upon  the  prospects  of  an 
improved  traffic  by  the  contributions  of  this  tributary. 

Brazilian  Imperial  Central  of  Bahia.  This  line,  the  first  of 
the  modern  section  of  English  lines,  was  in  part,  opened  to 
traffic  in  1882.  Like  all  of  the  later  comiianies,  its  traffic  was 
estimated  to  yield  4 per  cent,  profit,  an  estimate  accepted  by 
the  State  as  feasible,  for  it  endorsed  its  belief  by  granting  the 
7 per  cent,  guarantee.  The  line  trends  in  the  direction  of  the 
Rio  Sao  Francisco,  to  be  eventually  probably  another  competitor 
with  the  other  Bahia,  the  Pernambuco,  and  the  Paulo  Aftbnso 
lines,  but  as  it  accompanies  mainly  the  old  road  route  to  the 
river,  traversing  districts  more  populated  and  fertile  than  either 
of  those  of  these  three  lines,  its  prospects  are  more  hopeful 
than  those  chimerical  undertakings.  The  expenses  for  1884  were 
87.37  per  cent,  of  receipts,  and  profits  were  under  half  per  cent, 
of  capital.  In  1885  the  traffic  increased  63.5  per  cent,  but  the 
expenses  absorbed  94. 5 per  cent,  of  receipts. 

Great  Western  of  Brazil.  'I'his  Pernambuco  line,  with  the  high- 
sounding  name,  makes  but  a very  small  step  into  the  far-west 
of  Brazil.  Opened  to  traffic  in  1881,  under  most  hopeful  auspices, 
it  produced  until  lately, small  profits.  In  1881  and  1882,  they  were 
about  half  per  cent  of  guaranteed  capital,  in  1883  about  two,  in 
1884  they  dropped  to  i per  cent.;  1885  ended  in  a small  loss. 
This  railway  should  be  a fairly  successful  line,  for  a very  consider- 
able traffic  from  the  interior  passes  it  on  the  main  road  that  runs 
more  or  less  parallel  with  it.  But  its  previously  high  freights  proved  to 
the  country  people  that  it  was  cheaper  to  continue  their  long 
journey  from  the  distant  west  by  the  road  rather  than  over  the 
remaining  comparatively  short  distance  of  sixty  miles  covered  by  the 
railway.  The  remedy  is  to  extend  the  line  about  100  miles, ^ 
^ To  C.nmnin.n  Giamlc  in  I’araliylja  do  Norte. 


English  Railway  CoMPANif:s. 


339 


lower  the  freight,  run  the  horses  ofif  the  road,  and  then  it  should 
pay,  for  there  is  apparently  sufficient  goods  traffic,  even  in  bad  times, 
to  earn  a fair  dividend,  and  the  proposed  extension  of  the  line  into 
the  fertile  region  of  Timbauba  is  very  desirable.*  As  the  traffic  is 
dependent  mainly  on  the  sugar  crops,  its  returns  must  always  vacillate 
with  the  good  and  bad  seasons,  and  the  last  year  or  two  have  been 
e.xceptionally  bad,  owing  to  poor  crops  and  the  present  unremunera- 
tive  prices  of  sugar. 

Minas  and  Rio.  This  line  joins  the  Dom  Pedro  II.  railway  at 
about  156  miles  from  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  runs  into  Minas  Geraes, 
so  its  connection  with  Rio  exists  only  in  its  title.  It  is  the  most 
costly  of  the  modern  group  of  English-built  railways  in  Brazil.  It 
has  been  alternately  condemned  as  a “ railway  to  the  clouds,”  and 
praised  as  a most  promising  undertaking.  Its  shares  have  always 
hitherto  been  quoted  at  a premium,  why  ? in  comparison  with  other 
railways  in  Brazil ; well,  let  the  question  remain  simply,  why  ? Its 
traffic  produced  in  1885  a small  balance  to  the  good,  but  the  gross 
receipts  were  less  than  3 per  cent,  of  the  capital.  It  is  likely  to  pay 
its  way,  and  consequently  so  long  as  the  Brazilian  Government 
5 per  cent,  bonds  are  at  or  near  par,  the  7 per  cent,  interest  guar- 
anteed shares  of  this  and  similar  working-expense-covered  lines  are 
worthy  of  a premium.  There  will  probably  be  a prosperous  if 
remote  future  for  this  line,  for  it  traverses  a land  fitted  for  agri- 
culture and  pasture,  the  traffic  is  not  dependent  on  special  crops, 
and  the  climate  is  admirable,  but  it  must  wait  awhile  for  the  long- 
expected  inroad  of  immigration,  and  even  then  its  exceptional 
amount  of  capital  will  require  large  returns  to  earn  small  dividends. 

Soui/urn  Brazilian  Rio  Grande  do  Sul.  This  railway  cost  per 
mile  a little  more  than  half  that  of  the  last- mentioned  line.  It  is  in 
its  first  year  of  traffic,  and  so  far  the  line  has  demonstrated  that  it 
can  pay  its  way,  for  its  receipts  in  1885  equalled  over  4 per  cent,  of 
capital,  and  left  a small  profit.  Its  best  feature  is,  that  it  is  situated 
in  a progressing  section  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  a province  that,  like 
Sao  Paulo,  absorbs  a large  proportion  jf  the  immigrants  who  come 
to  Brazil  to  really  work. 

* The  company  have  now  commenced  the  construction  of  this  branch,  about 
26  miles  in  length. 


Z 2 


340 


English  Railway  Companies. 


There  is  very  considerable  reason  to  believe  that  this  railway 
is  likely  to  earn  its  dividends  in  the  course  of  a very  few  years, 
when  if  such  an  event  occurs,  its  irredeemable  6 per  cent,  debentures 
will  command  a very  high  premium. 

Alagoas.  All  the  foregoing  lines  now  make  or  have  made  small 
profits,  or  more  or  less  cover  working  expenses  ; this  line,  opened  to 
traffic  at  the  latter  end  of  1884,  showed  at  the  end  of  the  year  1885 
a small  loss,  the  gross  receipts  being  about  3 per  cent,  of  capital. 
But  a good  sugar  season  would  show  a very  much  more  favourable 
result. 

Conde  d'Eu.  The  loss  on  the  results  of  the  working  of  this  line 
absorbs  a considerable  fraction  of  the  amounts  received  for  guaran- 
teed interest.  It  is  unfortunately  hemmed  in  between  two  consider- 
able markets  that  are  fed  from  the  interior.  Its  terminus  is  also  at 
Parahyba,  fourteen  miles  up  the  river  of  this  name,  the  navigation 
of  which  is  yearly  becoming  more  and  more  difficult,  and  until  the 
railway  is  continued  to  the  end  of  this  intervening  fourteen  miles, 
to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  (where  there  is  an  excellent  port,)  and 
thereby  augment  the  shipping  facilities,  and  improve  the  state  of  the 
local  market,  there  is  absolutely  no  prospect  of  improvement  in 
traffic  returns.  It  would  also  be  advisable  (in  case  the  Great 
Western  does  not  prolong  its  lines)  to  extend  another  100  miles  to 
the  west,  and  there  tap  the  important  road  traffic  from  the  interior 
that  now  goes  to  Pernambuco  in  the  south,  and  Mamanguape  in  the 
north.  When  the  line  was  first  opened,  it  received  a most  unex- 
pected flood  of  local  goods  traffic,  the  whole  of  the  rolling-stock 
being  fully  occupied,  but  the  farmers  soon  realized  the  difference 
between  the  cost  of  cheaj)  transport  by  road  and  the  high  freights 
of  railway,  and  this  favourable  spurt  quickly  disappeared,  not  only 
owing  to  high  freights,  but  also  to  the  fiict  that  the  poor  market 
prices  of  Parahyba,  have  caused  the  fanners  to  send  their  produce 
by  road  to  Pcnambuco,  even  with  the  pajment  of  the  provincial 
import  duties. 

Doftna  Thereza  Clirisiiaiuf.  d’his  line  was  constructed  especially 
for  carrying  the  produce  of  coal-mines  at  the  extremity  of  the 
railway,  but  as  it  was  opened  to  traffic  long  before  the  capital  was 
raised  for  working  the  coal,  the  traffic  returns  were  rather  startling. 


English  Railway  Companies. 


341 


The  expenses  in  1885  were  about  475  per  cent,  of  the  receipts, 
that  only  amounted  to  about  i per  cent,  of  capital.  Now,  what- 
ever may  be  the  fortune  of  the  coal-mines,  they  will  at  any  rate 
provide  a certain  amount  of  traffic,  and  as  there  is  in  Santa  Catharina 
a magnificent  climate,  a fair  soil,  and  the  commencement  of  im- 
migration, let  alone  the  eventuality  of  a great  success  in  the  coal 
industry,  there  is  some  ground  to  hope  for  better  times. 

Imperial  Brazilian  Natal  and  Nova  Cruz.  The  results  of  the 
working  of  this  line  are  unique  in  the  history  of  railways.  The  ratio 
of  receipts  to  expenses  was,  in  1884,  70  to  229  ; in  first  half  of  1885, 
22  to  1 18;  in  the  last  half  of  same  year,  50  to  109  ; consequently 
a great  portion  of  the  guarantees  are  required  to  make  good  losses 
on  working  expenses.  There  never  existed  the  slightest  prospect  of 
a paying  traffic,  and  it  would  be  interesting  to  examine  the  estimates 
on  which  were  based  the  calculations  of  4 per  cent,  profit  on  capital 
that  are  required  by  the  Government  regulations  to  be  demonstrated 
before  a guarantee  is  conceded.  The  gross  receipts  are  about  i \ per 
cent,  of  guaranteed,  and  under  i per  cent,  of  total,  capital. 

The  accompanying  table  of  receipts  and  expenses  for  the  year  1885 
was  furnished  to  me  by  the  kind  courtesy  of  the  London  managers 
of  the  various  railway  companies.  The  receipts  are  those  derived 
from  actual  earnings,  independent  of  any  amounts  received  from  the 
Brazilian  Government  for  guaranteed  interest.  I find  it,  however, 
extremely  difficult  to  reduce  to  a common  basis  the  expenses  of 
the  various  lines,  for  nearly  each  one  of  the  companies  treats 
differently  to  the  other,  the  division  of  expenses  in  London  and  in 
Brazil ; for  instance,  I was  informed  by  the  Natal  and  Nova 
Cruz  Company  that  the  given  expenses  include  all  and  everything 
both  in  London  and  in  Brazil,*  whereas  those  of  the  other  lines 
show  only  the  cost  in  Brazil,  some  of  these  latter  including  in  this, 
the  cost  of  management,  loss  on  exchange,  insurance,  accidents,  &c. ; 
others  excluding  some* of  these  last  items.  Again,  in  the  older 
lines  appear  items  that  in  England  would  be  debited  to  capital 
account,  such  as  new  buildings  for  the  increase  of  station  accommo- 
dation, &c.  In  the  Recife  and  Sao  Francisco  this  constitutes  a 

* The  London  expenses  of  each  company  vary  from  3000/.  to  6000/.  per  annum. 


342 


English  Railway  Companies. 


t 

large  amount,  and  a difference  appears  in  the  amount  of  expenses 
as  returned  by  this  company,  and  that  sanctioned  by  the  Brazilian 
Government  owing  to  a disagreement  as  to  the  periods  over  which 
this  unusual  cost  should  be  distributed. 

Still,  despite  this  want  of  unison  in  common  data,  the  amounts 
in  question  are  not  sufficient  to  materially  affect  the  financial  aspect 
of  these  lines,  and  consequently  the  tables  will  serve  to  enable  the 
reader  to  approximately  judge  of  the  relative  merits  of  the  various 
railways,  and  my  necessarily  brief  observations,  to  roughly  estimate 
the  probabilities,  as  to  which  of  these  lines  may  in  a near  or  distant 
future  be  able,  like  the  Sao  Paulo,  to  earn  its  own  dividends. 


STATISTICS  OF  TRAFFIC  RECEIPTS  AND  WORKING  EXPENSES  OF  ENGLISH  RAILWAYS  IN  BRAZIL. 


N B. —-1:000$  or  one  thousand  milreis  at  par  value  or  27  pence  = jCii2  los. 


344 


APPENDIX  F. 

CENTRAL  SUGAR  FACTORIES  IN  BRAZIL. 

'1'his  must  be  a painful  subject  to  many  readers,  for  it  forms  an  enter- 
prise that  has  been  bitterly  disappointing  to  nearly  every  one  con- 
nected with  the  business,  the  only  e.xceptions  probably  being  the 
promoters,  who  realized  a “ good  thing  ” and  left  the  unfortunate 
shareholders  to  take  care  of  their  own  interests.  Probably  no  one 
has  been  more  deceived  over  these  undertakings  than  the  Brazilian 
Government,  for,  at  the  period  when  it  was  resolved  to  grant  the 
guaranteed  concessions,  sugar  realized  a comparatively  high  price  in 
the  foreign  market,  and  there  existed  an  imperious  necessity  to 
provide  the  great  sugar  estates  with  new  and  improved  machinery, 
so  that  the  planters  might  profitably  compete  with  the  West  Indian 
and  Demerara  growers,  and  at  that  time  there  was  no  reason  to 
anticipate  the  eventually  great  and  ruinous  decline  in  the  price  of 
this  commodity,  or  that  the  guarantees  would  be  other  than  a normal 
obligation  upon  the  Government.  But  the  whole  history  of  this 
business  presents  a scries  of  errors  and  mismanagement  by  the  com- 
panies, and  corresponding  sharp  practice  by  the  State  in  order  to 
cancel  the  concessions. 

The  successful  concessionaires  profitably  disposed  of  their  rights 
and  privileges  to  London  promoters,  by  whom  many  of  the  ruling 
principles  that  should  guide  and  influence  the  peculiar  management 
of  such  undertakings  were  quite  ignored.  The  capital  was  all  absorbed 
in  preliminary  expenses,  purchase  of  concession,  and  the  con- 
tract for  building,  and  no  margin  was  left  for  working  cxi)enses, 
in  itself  an  uni)ardonable  commercial  omission.  Many  of  the 
contractors,  experienced  in  railway  work  truly,  were  utterly  in  the  dark 


Ckxtual  Sugar  I*'actorii-:s. 


345 


as  to  the  cost  of  erecting  these  factories,  and  where  they  expected 
to  realize  a handsome  profit,  only  a dead  loss  resulted.  If  this 
business  had  been  administered  otherwise  than  it  has  been,  by 
the  perhaps  well-meaning  but  costly  misinformed  London  boards 
of  direction,  there  need  not  have  been  so  deplorable  a state  of  affairs 
as  actually  exists,  for  in  Brazil  there  are  identically  similar  national 
sugar  factory  companies,  formed  on  precisely  similar  guaranteed 
concessions.  On  the  whole  these  are  successful,  and  some  of 
their  shares  have  realized  considerable  premiums,  and  now  they 
show  a most  favourable  contrast  to  the  English  companies ; of 
course  a good  or  a bad  season  in  either  case  affects  the  result  of 
each  year’s  working.  One  of  the  main  causes  of  difference  of 
results  of  the  English  and  national  companies  is  that  the  latter 
altogether  supply  higher-priced  local  or  home  demands  than  what 
is  offered  by  the  foreign  market  to  which  the  English  companies  have 
hitherto  sent  their  produce.  But  there  are  considerable  hopes  that 
after  the  companies  have  so  bitterly  paid  for  their  experience,  and 
the  price  of  sugar  improves,  which  it  must  do,  in  view  of  the  now 
diminished  “beet”  supplies,  there  should  be  hopes  that  this  section  of 
British  investments  will  improve,  and  even  a little  more  common 
sense  and  inquiry  by  the  administrators  into  what  is  wanted,  should 
even  now  very  much  improve  the  state  of  affairs ; for  there  are  large 
home  demands  'where  the  prices  realize  double  the  prices  of  the 
English  market,  a fact  that  the  boards  are  apparently  unaware  of. 
The  disappointing  results  of  these  undertakings  have  been  very 
great  to  the  State,  and  has  caused  it  to  exercise  not  only  the  sharpest 
control,  but  also  to  issue  the  most  vexatious  and  irritating  (because 
unnecessary  and  useless)  regulations,  and  to  avail  itself  of  any 
trifling  non-fulfilment  of  the  strict  letter  of  contract,  (no  matter  how 
important  to  the  general  interest  of  the  locality  it  was  destined  to 
serve,)  and  so  evade  its  obligations  by  cancelling  the  concession,  or 
contract,  which  it  really  is.  I will  quote  an  example. 

One  of  the  concessions  was  brought  to  London  at  a time 
when  the  present  companies  were  all  floated,  and  their  shares  had 
already  depreciated,  but  as  the  locality  that  this  particular  concession 
represented,  offered  (and  even  now  in  these  bad  times  still  offers) 
most  exceptionally  favourable  conditions,  the  new  company  was 


346 


Central  Sugar  Factories. 


organized  after  some  nine  months  of  tedious  work,  no  plunder 
was  allowed  to  any  one  connected  with  it,  and  from  the  capital 
guaranteed  a fund  for  working  expenses  was  put  by.  The  plans 
were  sent  to  Rio  in  September,  but  March  came,  and  nothing  de- 
cisive was  done  by  the  Government  except  to  raise  trifling  objections 
that  only  served  as  excuses  to  delay  the  effective  acceptance  of 
Imperial  responsibilities. 

Finally,  the  agent  of  the  coticessioiiaire  went  to  Rio,  where  at  last 
plans  were  approved,  and  a telegram  sent  by  the  Government  to  the 
Minister  in  London  to  authorize  the  company  to  call  up  its  capital  and 
go  to  work.  Some  ten  days  afterwards,  as  the  agent  was  about  to  go  to 
the  site  of  the  factory  to  start  preliminary  work,  he  learned  to  his 
astonishment  that  the  Minister  of  Agriculture  had,  without  warning 
or  notice,  arbitrarily  cancelled  the  concession,  on  the  plea  that  the 
contracts  made  with  planters  to  supply  cane  did  not  state  weight, 
but  only  quantity,  of  cane  undertaken  to  be  supplied.  Even  if  this 
plea  held  good  (the  same  contracts  had  been  verbally  accepted  by  the 
previous  minister),  the  concessmiaire  was  still  entitled,  by  the  terms 
of  his  concession,  to  about  two  months  longer  to  reform  this  clause, 
if  necessary,  which  it  really  was  not.  As  a proof  of  the  soundness 
of  this  undertaking,  the  local  planters  had  subscribed  15,000/.,  and 
the  chairman  and  his  friends  another  15,000/.,  towards  the  capital  of 
the  company.  Thus,  by  an  arbitrary  stroke  of  the  pen,  a sterling 
enterprise  was  destroyed,  and  a twelve  months’  labour  and  anxiety, 
and  several  thousand  pounds,  all  lost,  for  the  concession  and  land 
had  been  paid  for  in  cash,  and  practical  men  had  been  sent  out  to 
Brazil  to  report,  besides  the  many  legal  and  personal  expenses  in- 
cidental to  the  organization  of  such  an  enterprise,  all  of  which  were 
incurred  on  the  faith  of  an  Imperial  Brazilian  Government  guarantee. 
Altogether  this  action,  so  inconsiderate,  so  utterly  regardless  of  all 
sense  of  right  or  law,  is  utterly  unworthy  of  the  dignity  of  a great 
country,  and  is  a great  blot  on  the  hitherto  untarnished  honour  of 
Imperial  Brazil. 


347 


APPENDIX  G. 

THE  PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  FUTURE  OF  BRAZIL. 

In  the  brief  space  that  can  only  be  allowed  for  this  subject  (that 
to  do  it  justice  requires  so  much  to  be  said),  I must  confine  myself 
to  chiefly  abstract  matters  and  a few  statistics. 

The  past  of  Brazil  affords  an  interesting  picture  of  what  changes 
time  creates  in  a country  ; one  of  the  main  results  of  which  in  Brazil, 
has  been  a transference  from  the  interior  to  the  seaboard  of  its 
wealth-producing  centres,  a temporary  loss  to  a permanent  gain,  an 
exchange  of  the  evanescent  riches  obtained  by  mining  to  the  more 
stable  results  produced  by  agriculture,  commerce,  and  industries. 
Had  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Brazil  been  contemporary  with  that  in 
Australia  and  California,  when  the  land  was  governed  by  a more 
liberal  and  enlightened  policy  than  in  the  days  when  it  was  a 
Portuguese  colony,  it  would  have  attracted  to  its  vast  interior 
thousands  of  the  hardy  races  of  North  America  and  Northern 
Europe ; but  the  discovery  was  made  when  the  land  was  a veritable 
terra-incognita,  before  the  day  of  foreign  correspondents  and  tele- 
graphs, and  its  virgin  stores  of  diamonds,  gold,  and  silver,  served 
only  to  profitlessly  enrich  the  old  colonists,  and  become  a curse  to 
the  country.  This  mineral  wealth  built  the  great  monasteries,  convents, 
and  churches,  (whose  massive  time  and  weather-worn  walls  a traveller 
notices  in  the  principal  old  cities  of  the  coast,  and  in  parts  of  the 
interior) ; the  grand  old  fazenda  buildings ; even  towns  like  Villa 
Rica,  in  Parana  (now  a ruin  in  the  wilderness),  and  numerous  once 
prosperous  towns  and  villages  of  Minas  Geraes,  Goyaz,  Matto 
Grosso,  Bahia,  and  other  provinces,  now  all  so  ruinous,  dilapidated, 
and  so  decadent.  When  it  is  remembered  that  in  the  old  time  the 
commerce  of  Brazil  was  confined  to  Portugal,  and  under  certain  con- 
ditions, to  a limited  extent,  to  Great  Britain,  it  does  cause  one  at 
first  sight  to  marvel  much  at  seeing  so  many  evidences  of  a former 
national  spirit  of  activity  and  energy  so  vastly  different  to  what  now 


34^  The  Decadent  Interior  of  Brazil. 


exists  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  the  interior.  There  are  many  feasible 
reasons  to  account  for  the  change.  It  may  be  admitted  that  the  old 
race  of  Portuguese,  (whatever  they  may  be  now,)  once  possessed 
an  indomitable  energy,  and  a great  spirit  of  adventure,  that  long 
after  the  first  colonization  of  Brazil,  were  fostered  and  strengthened 
by  the  struggles  inherent  to  settlers  in  a new  land,  combating  with 
warlike  aborigines  and  great  natural  difficulties.  Then  came  the 
discovery  of  gold  and  diamonds ; shiploads  of  negros  were  imported 
from  Africa,  the  aborigines  were  probably  also  conquered  and  pressed 
into  the  service,  the  cost  of  labour  was  a mere  bagatelle,  and  abun- 
dant,, and  probably  enabled  mines  to  be  worked  with  a great  profit, 
that  now,  even  with  the  present  high  perfection  of  mining  science 
and  appliances,  could  only  be  worked  at  a loss,  in  consequence  of 
the  actual  scarcity  and  cost  of  labour.  Great,  indeed,  must  have 
been  the  mineral  wealth  extracted  under  these  conditions,  and 
equally  great  must  have  been  the  profits  obtained  by  those,  who  by 
agriculture,  supplied  the  necessities  of  the  mining  population,  for  the 
demand  for  provisions  must  have  .been  considerable,  the  supjJy 
small,  and  gold  and  labour  cheap  and  plentiful.  But  what  were  the 
natural  results  ? There  followed  an  age  of  luxury,  when  the  suc- 
ceeding generations  became  habituated  to  more  indolent  lives  by 
a too-easily  acquired  wealth ; and  a tropical  climate  wrought  its 
baneful  influences  upon  the  grand  old  race.  In  due  time,  the  old 
mines  and  placers  became  exhausted,  or  insurmountable  difficulties 
were  met  with,  and  the  old  energy  of  the  people  had  become 
vitiated  and  demoralized,  for  no  more  explorations  were  attempted, 
and  finally  the  whole  of  the  population  turned  their  attention 
to  stock-raising  and  agriculture,  even  in  the  far  distant  districts 
of  the  interior;  but  thus  all  being  producers,  the  demand  is 
lessened,  and  the  supply  increased,  and  a market  on  the  coast  is 
too  far  away  to  pay  for  transport.  Then  followed  years  of  inactivity 
and  unproductiveness,  lives  unanimated  by  ambition  or  hope  of 
change,  consuming  what  was  produced,  even  to  the  accumulated 
wealth  of  their  forefathers,  divided  and  subdivided  between  the 
ever-increasing,  descendants,  and  so  was  engendered  the  horrible 
state  of  thriftlcssness,  lethargy,  indolence,  and  moral  degradation 
that  exists  so  often  amongst  the  greater  part  of  the  country  people 
of  the  distant  interior  of  Brazil,  a state  that  will  exist  yet  for  many. 


Progress  of  the  Coast  Rec.ions. 


349 


many  years  to  come,  for  what  is  the  use  of  railways  and  communica- 
tions to  such  people  as  these,  unless  they  are  reanimated  by  the 
example  of  hard-working,  thrifty  immigrants  ? 

But  on  the  seaboard  a far  more  hopeful  state  of  affairs  exists. 
By  the  seaboard  I mean  a fringe  of  land  along  the  coast,  extending 
from  50  to  300  or  400  miles  inland.  This  narrow  belt,  with  also 
the  valley  of  the  Amazons,  produces  nearly  all  the  exports  of  Brazil. 
Here  foreigners  and  foreign  capital  have  done  much  to  resuscitate 
the  race  that  is  now  realizing  that  there  are  other  paths  to  follow 
besides  the  old  ones  trodden  by  their  fathers.  When  one  glances 
back  only  a few  years,  and  compares  the  then  utter  want  of  national 
public  enterprise  with  the  present  actual  state  of  affairs,  it  is  mar- 
vellous to  see  what  has  been  done  by  national  capital,  science,  and 
work  in  railways,  steamship  companies,  tramways,  telephones,  tele- 
graphs, commercial  and  industrial  undertakings,  besides  the  institu- 
tion of  scientific  and  art  societies.  It  is  an  awakening  from  the 
great  relapse  that  followed  the  evanescent  and  fictitious  national 
prosperity  of  the  old  days,  a recovery  from  the  crisis  that  in  com- 
parison, that  of  the  slave  and  financial  questions  are  mere  bagatelles, 
for  it  was  a crisis  that  temporarily  ruined  the  country,  body  and 
soul.  Now  look  at  the  long  list  of  native  companies,  and  at  the 
railways  built  with  native  capital  by  native  engineers  and  builders, 
and  by  means  of  the  increased  facilities  for  communication  and 
travelling  the  people  go  further  away  from  the  narrow  circle  of  their 
villages,  and  their  ideas  become  enlarged.  See  the  thousands  that 
yearly  pass  to  and  fro  from  the  often  drought-smitten  and  arid 
Northern  Provinces  to  the  marvellous  forests  of  the  Amazons,  in 
quest  of  the  valuable  india-rubber,  where  they  brave  peril  from 
fevers,  and  suffer  great  privations,  for  the  prize  is  great  to  any  of 
these  poor  coloured  folk  to  be  able  to  earn  10  to  20  milreis  per  day. 

This  modern  initiation  of  public  enterprise  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  seaboard  is  like  a revival  of  a latent  spirit  of  adventure,  and  is 
the  most  favourable  feature  of  a sterling  national  progress,  both  in 
enlightenment  and  welfare,  that  tends  to  counterbalance  the  very  un- 
satisfactory national  accounts,  and  the  stagnant  state  of  the  interior. 

The  ordinary  revenue  of  the  country  is  usually  sufficient  to  meet 
ordinary  expenses ; but  so  many  obligations  have  been  rashly  in- 
curred without  a practical  inquiry  into  the  merits  of  the  guaranteed 


350 


National  Finances. 


undertakings,  or  a duly  serious  consideration  of  the  responsibilities 
in  the  possible  eventuality  of  the  non-realization  of  the  always  rose- 
coloured  statements  and  estimates,  that  the  State  now  finds  itself 
struggling  with  a huge  burden  of  indebtedness,  much  of  which  is 
even  indirectly  unremunerative,  the  result  is  a serious  disequilibrium 
of  its  finances. 

For  many  years  past,  even  since  the  cessation  of  the  Paraguayan 
war,  not  one  single  year  can  show  a balance  on  the  right  side. 
Unfortunately,  there  is  no  conveniently  elastic  remedy  to  make  up 
for  deficient  revenue  like  our  own  “ income  tax,”  in  fact,  hardly  any 
direct  taxes  worth  mentioning,  exist ; they  are  all  to  be  raised,  and 
form  one  of  the  resources  that  the  State  must  depend  upon,  if  it  is 
eventually  “ cornered.”  The  deficits,  and  (despite  the  paying  off  of 
old  loans)  the  ever-increasing  national  debt,  has  been  hitherto  met 
by  continual  borrowing,  both  external  and  internal.  Still,  although 
the  Brazilians  themselves  are  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  national 
finances,  and  the  Jornal  do  Commercio  (the  Times  of  Brazil),  is 
ever  recalling  serious  attention  to  the  trouble,  the  internal  six  per 
cent,  bonds  command  a nine  per  cent,  premium,  and  form  the  in- 
vestments of  the  greater  part  of  the  reserve  funds  of  the  national 
public  companies. 

For  the  last  twenty  years  the  British  investor  in  Brazilian  enterprises 
and  bonds  has  threatened  the  “thunders  of  his  Vatican,”  the  London 
Stock  Exchange ; still,  despite  of  all,  the  country  progresses  steadily 
and  surely,  and  the  credit  of  the  State  is  very  high.  One  thing, 
however,  must  be  borne  in  mind,  namely,  that  the  national  financial 
state  of  any  country  cannot  be  considered  in  the  light  of  a com- 
mercial house,  for  there  are  very  few,  if  any,  existing  governments, 
that  if  their  actual  assets  were  realized,  would  be  able  to  meet  present 
obligations.  The  credit  of  Brazil,  despite  of  all  that  has  been  said 
against  it,  ranks  very  high  both  with  Brazilians  and  foreigners,  and 
it  must  also  be  remembered  that  so  far  as  is  publicly  known,  it  has 
no  mortgage  on  its  revenue,  property,  or  resources  ; neither  is  the 
country  taxed  to  the  extent  it  might  be,  even,  in  one  case  (a  land 
tax),  with  very  great  national  advantage.  Its  ca])acity  for  borrowing 
is  undoubtedly  great,  but  so  are  its  resources.  'I'he  following  tables 
show  the  revenue  returns,  expenditure,  and  national  debt  for  each 
year  from  1875  to  1883-4. 


National  Finances. 


351 


Year. 

Revenue. 

Expenditure.  ! 

National  Debt. 

Year. 

Foreign. 

Internal. 

>8-4-5 

113,887:185$ 

133.252:048$ 

1875 

177,166:222.$ 

487.573:173? 

1875-6 

109.957:377 

>33.441:856 

1876 

169.217:777 

5*4.577*4” 

1876-7 

108,747:079 

>43.69«:5>i  1 

1877 

510,269:504 

1877  8 

1 20,63a  :6o6 

161,579:170 

1878 

160.320:000 

588,850:150 

1878-9 

125,144:878 

>90,i53:-t55 

>879 

158,283:555 

623,813:466 

1879-80 

>37.587:677 

>66,957:238 

1880 

151.077:333 

608,283:246 

i88o‘i 

145,216:449 

152.524:588 

1881 

141,072:000 

672,958:728 

i8Si*a 

149,265:862 

156.749:546 

1882 

133.355:555 

675.030:532 

1882-3 

145,080:089 

165,652:707  1 

1883 

169,213:333 

691.979:562 

1884 

163.732:444 

690,515:604 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  during  these  years,  the  revenue  has  in- 
creased 28  per  cent,  and  e.xpenditure  24I  per  cent. ; the  foreign 
debt  has  diminished  8 per  cent.,  and  the  internal  has  increased  41 
per  cent.  Against  the  debt  in  1884  must  be  credited  as  assets, — 


Owing  by  the  Republic  of  Uruguay 
„ „ Paraguay 


Unpaid  taxes 


. . 16,607:2988 

256:049 
• 12,550:033 

Total  29,413:3808 


The  foreign  debt,  as  indicated  in  above  tables,  is  calculated  at  the 
par  value  of  the  milreis,  27  pence.  The  amount  in  1884,163,732,4448, 
is  equivalent  to  18,419,900/.,  since  which  date  it  has  been  further 
considerably  reduced  by  amortization,  but  the  1886  loan  of 
6,000,000/.  has  run  it  up  again  to  over  24,000,000/.  The  internal 
debt  comprised, — 


4,  5,  and  6%  Internal  currency  bonds 


Paper  currency 
Treasury  notes 
Savings’  banks 


gold  loan,  1868'  . 

„ 18791  . 


338,11:99008 

22,800:000 

44,203:640 

187,936:661 

46,548:500 

18,848:946 


' A large  proportion  of  these  loans  are  now  held  in  Europe,  and  are  quoted  on 
the  London  Stock  Exchange,  apparently  figuring  as  a Brazilian  external  debt. 


352 


Commerce. 


Orphans,  &c.,  deposits 18,668:623$ 

Sundries 13.389:334 

690,515:604$ 


This  amount,  calculated  at  the  par  value  of  the  milreis,  is  equiva- 
lent to  77,683,005/,,  thus  the  total  debt  of  Brazil,  in  1884,  was 
96,102,905/.,  a large  amount  for  a country  whose  annual  exports 
are  about  il.  "js.  6d.  per  head  of  population,  and  about  18%  of  its 
national  debt. 

The  following  table  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  exports  and  imports  is  indi- 
cative of  the  progress  of  national  industries,  for  in  the  year  1884-5, 
the  imports  decreased  from  the  average  of  the  years  1879-84,  8 per 
cent.,  whereas  the  exports  increased  io|  per  cent.  A large  propor- 
tion of  this  decrease  is  owing  to  the  establishment,  during  the  last 
few  years  of  more  than  sixty  cotton  factories,  all  of  which  are 
most  prosperous. 

Official  Value  in  Milreis,  of  Imports  and  Exports  at  Rio  de 


Janeiro. 


Countries. 

1884- 

-1885. 

Yearly  averag 

e of  1879 — 18S4. 

Imports. 

Exports. 

1 inports. 

Exports, 

Great  Britain  . 
France 
Germany . 

United  States  . 
Uruguay  . 

Portugal  . 

Belgium  . 

Argentine  Republic  . 
Various  . 

Italy 

Austria 

Sweden  and  Norway 

.Spain 

Holland  . 

Chile 

Russia 

Cape  of  Good  Hope 
Mediterranean  . 
Denmark  . 

36,265:211$ 

12,514:654 

9,009:121 

7.731:273 

7.263:546 

5.544:637 

4,062:767 

2,723:887 

2,002:94:5 

689:653 

243:137 

173:040 

114:746 

86:859 

62:194 

72:221 

1:192 

6,464:052$ 

6,645:542 

10,367:758 

67,946:143 

1.53^:331 

463:869 

2,869:701 

2,014:826 

2:678 

1,357:210 

5.396:510 
1 :225 
10:832 

4:855 

87:115 
622:621 
2.008: 1 19 

1 .3.37:727 
5 910 

39  199:555$ 
16  370:151 
8.795:632 
8,024:875 
7,161:365 
6,337:716 
4.415:932 
3,462:88s 
549:310 
805:804 
1 16:417 
191:861 
333:608 

130:451 

241:304 

51:467 

442 

4:018 

10.397:737$ 

10,291:995 

9.538:315  ! 

53,922974  1 
2,079:956 
3,136:236  1 
3,000:581  1 

1.335:659  1 

858:901 
394:340  1 
1,217:865 
52:829 
36:326 
2:568 

45:931 

13:042 

1.367:627 

854:379 

249:785 

88,521 :10I$ 

109,145:024$ 

96  192:796$ 

98,797:046$ 

Total  for  the  whole  of 
the  Empire  . 

162,970:402$ 

223,864:731$ 

I 

1 

Value  in  sterling  at 
jK-nce  per  milreis  ^ 

;^i2,90i,393 

/;i7, 722,033 

i 

1 

1 

Immk;ration. 


353 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  United  States  and  Germany  are  now  the 
largest  purchasers  of  Brazilian  produce,  and  Great  Britain,  1 ranee, 
Germany,  the  United  States,  and  Uruguay,  constitute  m this  order 
of  rotation,  the  largest  suppliers  of  the  Brazilian  market.  The 
United  States  is  Brazil’s  best  customer  for  coffee  and  india-rubber, 
and  Germany  second  best  for  coffee  and  tobacco. 

The  following  immigration  statistics  will  indicate  the  countries 
that  are  supplying  Brazil  with  new  blood  and  muscle,  and  also  the 
provinces  that  chiefly  attract  the  new  arrivals,  and  show  how 
Sao  Paulo  and  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  are  attracting  the  working 
immigrants,  for  Rio  de  Janeiro  largely  absorbs  a great  proportion 
of  the  Portuguese,  who  remain  there  as  labourers,  mechanics,  and 
traders. 

Immigrants  in  1884. 


Arrived  in  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

Left  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

Nationality. 

Number. 

Left  Rio  de  Janiero 
for  various  Provinces. 

Number. 

Portuguese  . 

Italians 

Germans 

Austrians 

Spaniards 

Poles  . 

F rench 
English 
Russians 
Uruguayans. 
Swiss  . 
Argentines  . 
Americans  . 
Belgians 
Turks  . 
Moors  . 

8683 

5933 

1240 

598 

576 

359 

155 

100 

98 

90 

70 

29 

24 

19 

16 

8 

Sao  Paulo  . 
Rio  Grande 
do  Sul  J 

Minas  Geraes 
Rio  de  J aneiro 
Sta.  Catharina 
Parana 

Espirito  Santo 

Amazonas  . 

Para 

Bahia  . 

Alagoas 

Pernambuco 

4427 

1985 

1202 

875 

61I 

3!^5 
33 
27 
21 
1 1 
II 

10 

Passed  Rio  on  way 
to  Santos  . 

17.999 

1609 

19,608 

9598 

The  immigration  movement  in  1884,  w'as  considerably  less  than 
in  1883  and  in  1882,  when  24,493  and  24,827  arrived  in  Rio  in 
each  of  these  years.  The  drop  in  the  numbers  to  19,608,  was 
VOL.  II. 


A a 


354  Commercial  Relations  of  various  Provinces. 

mainly  caused  by  the  ports  of  Brazil  being  practically  closed  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  year  against  colonists  from  Europe,  on  account 
of  the  cholera. 

The  following  statistics  of  Post  Office  receipts  and  expenditure 
in  the  various  provinces  of  the  empire  in  the  years  1877  and  1884, 
will  serve  to  show  the  relative  commercial  importance  of  each 
province,  and  also  indicate  the  development  of  some,  and  the  re- 
trocession of  others.  Judging  by  the  receipts  of  1884,  it  will  be  seen 
that  Minas  Geraes  and  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  are  now  ahead  of  Per- 
nambuco, whereas  the  distant  interior  provinces  of  Matto  Grosso 
and  Piauhy,  have  fallen  to  the  bottom  of  the  list  in  the  order  of 
amounts. 


Post  Office  Returns. 


Name  of  Province. 

Receipts. 

Expenditure. 

1877. 

1884. 

1877. 

1884. 

Rio  de  Janeiro 

553.021$ 

673.045$ 

672,445$ 

865.761$ 

.Sao  Paulo  . 

138,399 

325.016 

144.677 

291,271 

Pernambuco 

80,692 

105.959 

80,741 

90.460 

Minas  Geraes  . . 

72,768 

I7S.062 

170.2S6 

312,298 

Rio  Grande  do  Sul 

72,766 

127,155 

77,763 

142,901 

Bahia  .... 

63.414 

S3.798 

84. 546 

132,106 

Para  .... 

30,141 

63,179 

23334 

52,622 

Maranhao  . 

1S.433 

24,868 

39.655 

45.S39 

Ceara  .... 

11,572 

23,553 

33.358 

42,586 

Parana 

1 1 ,502 

24,3  >6 

27,687 

41,414 

Sta.  Catharina 

11.344 

18,310 

13,871 

27,309 

Alagoas 

8,350 

16,174 

24.539 

27,797 

Espirito  Santo 

5.400 

15.211 

10,618 

22,927 

Amazonas  . 

4,902 

10,671 

8,271 

14.914 

Sergipe 

4,866 

5,893 

14.129 

16,728 

Matto  Grosso 

3.078 

2,235 

6,644 

10.846 

Rio  Grande  do  Norte  . 

2,960 

5.269 

18,029 

21,349 

Goyaz .... 

2.797 

6,071 

20,916 

44.572 

Piauhy 

2,220 

3.735 

16,232 

21.352 

Parahyba  . 

I,S02 

6.334 

22,417 

25,620 

Totals  . 

1,100,400$ 

1. 747.5558 

1.507.077$ 

2,259.677$ 

Deficits 

406,677$ 

512,122$ 

In  entering  upon  the  probabilities  of  the  future  of  Brazil,  the 
caution  occurs  (I  think  it  was  Artemus  Ward  who  gave  it)  of  not 
prophesying  unless  you  know,  still  there  are  many  reasons,  both 


The  Son,  of  Brazil. 


355 


favourable  and  adverse,  upon  which  to  base  reasonable  conjectures, 
at  the  same  time  many  existing  illusions  must  be  destroyed  in  con- 
sidering such  a theme.  The  chief  one  is  that  Brazil  is  not  by  any 
means  so  universally  fertile  a country  as  is  generally  believed  even  by 
the  Brazilians  themselves,  as  the  pages  of  this  work  will  show  j 
probably  there  is  no  similar  area  in  the  world  that  offers  such  a 
glorious  field  to  the  botanist,  but  even  where  he  may  find  some  of 
his  greatest  treasures,  namely,  on  the  wide  and  far-extending  campos, 
there  is  a soil  that  is  generally  absolutely  worthless  for  agriculture. 
The  campos  of  Brazil,  that  covers  perhaps  three-fourths  of  its  area,  are 
the  Dartmoors  of  the  empire,  consequently  these  large  valueless 
tracts  must  be  duly  discounted  when  optimists  ventilate  their 
glowing  accounts  of  “ vast  area,”  “ unbounded  resources,”  &c.  But 
dismissing  the  subject  of  these  “ wastes  ” to  take  care  of  themselves 
in  the  dim  distant  future,  there  yet  remains  immense  tracts  of 
fertile  lands  to  be  populated  and  developed,  and  there  is  no  necessity 
to  go  to  the  far-west  to  find  them.  I will  only  mention  three,  the 
fertile  basin  of  the  Rio  Doce,  the  western  boundaries  of  Espiritc 
Santo,  and  even  within  a day’s  journey  of  the  capital  of  the 
empire,  amidst  the  highlands  of  Theresopolis,  are  excellent  fields 
for  new  settlements.  In  the  two  first,  much  of  the  districts  are  not 
only  uninhabited,  but  unexplored,  owing  to  the  difficulties  of  making 
way  through  their  dense  forests.  In  the  third-mentioned  district,  there 
is  glorious  scenery  and  a magnificent  climate,  and  occasional  patches  of 
soil  capable  of  producing  most  European  produce.  Here  any  thrifty 
and  hard-working  immigrant  with  a moderate  amount  of  capital, 
say  500/.  and  properly  guided  and  directed  by  experienced  friendly 
advice,  would  have  a much  better  chance  of  success  than  if  he 
followed  the  usual  stream  of  immigrants  to  the  Colonies  or  the 
United  States. 

But  even  these  districts  are  not  by  any  means  so  wonderfully 
fertile,  for  Brazil  is  deficient  in  two  natural  fertilizing  elements, 
namely,  winters  and  earth-worms.  In  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  in  the 
dry  months  of  June,  July,  August,  September,  the  cerrados  and 
campos  of  the  high-lands  show  great  areas  all  covered  with  a sparse 
vegetation,  dried  up  and  parched,  the  boughs  and  branches  all  bare 
and  leafless,  and  the  soil  baking  in  the  dry  heat,  then  the  fallen 

A a 2 


356 


Brazilians  and  Foreigners. 


leaves,  dried  hard  and  crisp,  are  scattered  and  broken  by  the  wind, 
and  their  elements  dissolve  into  gasses.  It  is  only  in  the  thick 
forests,  where  the  soil  is  naturally  damp  and  moist,  that  these  sources 
of  fertility  are  allowed  to  collect  and  enrich  the  soil. 

However,  to  return  to  our  subject.  Brazil  has  now  a population 
estimated  at  between  twelve  to  thirteen  millions,  about  one-tenth 
of  which  are  slaves.  The  Post  Office  authorities  estimate  the 
population  to  be  12,899,691  (it  is  as  well  to  express  the  last  i,  as 
it  suggests  very  great  care  in  the  estimate),  but  the  major  part  of  this 
number  must  be  dismissed  as  a valueless  factor  in  considering  the 
productive  powers  in  the  near  future  progress  of  the  empire,  for 
so  large  a proportion  of  the  inhabitants  are  scattered  over  so  vast 
an  area,  that  in  the  distant  interior,  where  their  productions  are  little 
in  excess  of  local  demands,  it  is  impossible  to  make  remunerative 
communications,  neither  does  the  necessity  exist  when  so  much 
is  required  on  the  border-lands  of  the  coast.  This  popular  idea  of 
developing  the  interior  without  a stream  of  immigrants  to  occupy  it, 
is  an  Ignis  fatuus,  in  the  pursuit  of  which  the  State  has  sadly 
crippled  its  finances.  Even  under  the  most  favourable  conditions, 
it  will  take  years  and  years  to  occupy  the  waste  fertile  lands  of  the 
coast,  consequently  the  tenants  of  the  far-west  may  be  left  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  vegetate  as  the  trees  around  them,  increase  and 
multiply  until  the  time  comes  when  the  east  will  commence  to 
crowd  upon  the  west,  then  its  numbers  may  have  a value  which 
at  present  does  not  exist. 

Whether  Brazil  will  ever  be  a popular  field  for  immigrants  like 
the  Argentine  Republic,  is  a question  that  only  the  future  can 
answer.  Brazil  openly  tenders  a welcome  to  the  foreigner,  and  the 
State  has  expended  4,000,000/.  in  trying  to  induce  immigration,  but 
there  exists  an  insurmountable  national  jealousy,  not  to  say  antipathy, 
of  foreigners  that  is  apparently  unconquerable.  'I'here  are  a very 
considerable  number  of  thriving  German  colonies  in  the  southern 
provinces,  and  the  colonists  become  more  Brazilian  than  the 
Brazilians  themselves  ; they  love  their  adopted  country,  are  thrifty 
and  industrious,  and  attain  a prosperous  condition  that  their  less 
active  Brazilian  neighbours  envy  but  cannot  understand.  'I'he 
antipathy  thus  engendered  is  not  so  much  directed  against  the  in- 


Stahilitv  of  thf  Kmpirk. 


357 


dividuals  as  against  their  success.  As  an  example  of  the  existing 
jealousy,  I will  quote  that  in  1882  a lottery  was  held  in  Porto 
Alegre,  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  in  connection  with  an  exhibition,  the 
first  prize  of  200,0008  was  drawn  by  a German  living  in  Hamburg. 
This  so  incensed  the  Brazilians  that  they  fired  the  building,  and 
everything  was  destroyed.  A further  source  of  bad  feeling  is,  that 
the  Germans,  with  their  shrewdness,  have  secured  the  best  lands. 
But  whatever  trouble  may  ensue,  all  well-wishers  of  Brazil  can  only 
earnestly  hope  to  see  it  populated  by  an  energetic  race,  whatever 
may  be  the  nationality.  In  the  case  of  the  Germans  of  the  south, 
they  may  be  temporarily  an  element  of  discord,  but  they  are  ex- 
tremely loyal  to  the  Government,  and  constitute  a solid  foundation 
for  a future  vigorous  prosperity. 

The  fact  of  the  Emperor  having  no  immediate  male  heir  to  the 
throne,  forms  a great  bugbear  to  the  fearful  ones,  and  serious  ruptures 
are  feared  in  the  solidity  of  the  empire  on  the  much-to-be-regretted 
demise  of  the  present  ruler.  But  whatever  changes  may  happen  in  the 
government  of  the  country,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  it  will 
always  faithfully  fulfil  its  obligations,  for  once  its  credit  is  shattered 
what  is  to  become  of  its  great  internal  debt ; the  country  itself 
without  foreign  aid  could  not  meet  its  liabilities,  consequently  this 
internal  debt  is  a bulwark  of  the  stability  of  the  State  like  our  own 
National  Debt;  and  come  weal,  come  woe,  it  must  pay  up.  The 
fact  of  Brazil  being  situated  in  South  America  very  much  detracts 
from  the  value  of  its  bonds  to  many  would-be  investors  who  are  rather 
misty  in  their  geography,  for  to  the  greater  part  of  the  British 
public,  Brazil  is  one  of  those  South  American  republics,  don’t-yer- 
know,  somewhere  in  South  America,  liable  to  revolutions,  earth- 
quakes, and  yellow  Jack,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  yer-know,  and 
somehow  or  other,  there  is  an  emperor  who  rises  at  unearthly 
hours  in  the  morning,  and  the  Brazilians  are  Spanish. 

Finally,  the  near  or  remote  future  of  Brazil  will  depend  almost 
entirely  upon  whether  the  country  becomes  sooner  or  later  a 
favourite  with  immigrants  from  crowded  Europe.  In  the  Argentine 
Republic,  and  in  the  growth  of  the  United  States,  is  witnessed  the 
marvellous  results  produced  by  a flood  of  immigrants,  and  if  the 
stream  is  eventually  directed  to  Brazil,  the  prosperity  of  the  country 


358 


Future  Development. 


must  increase  by  leaps  and  bounds.  As  it  is,  even  with  the  present 
very  moderate  yearly  accession  of  immigrants,  the  steady  increase 
in  the  social  prosperity  of  at  least  the  southern  seaboard  areas  is 
undeniable,  and  is  likely  to  continue. 

Distribution  of  British  capital  now  invested  in  Brazilian  Govern- 
ment Bonds  and  in  various  public  enterprises  in  Brazil. 


£ 


Imperial  Brazilian  Bonds 

29,241,844 

Railway  companies 

18,850,258 

Navigation  companies 

3,864,660 

Submarine  telegraph  companies 

3,432,049 

Banking  companies 

. 2,000,000 

Sugar  factory  companies . 

1,735.820 

Gas  companies  .... 

1,291,803 

Mining  companies  .... 

1,068,540 

Water  and  Drainage  companies 

1,034,700 

Tramway  companies 

124,200 

^62,643,874 

^ This  amount  includes  £4,1)07,6^^^  of  the  gold  bonds  of  the  internal  loan 
of  1879,  that  are  now  mainly  held  in  London,  and  quoted  on  the  Stock  Exchange. 


i 


359 


APPENDIX  H. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  A PAPER,  READ  BY  THE  AUTHOR 
AT  A MEETING  OF  THE  ROYAL  GEOGRAPHICAL 
SOCIETY,  ON  THE  8th  FEBRUARY,  iS86,  AND 
ENTITLED  “A  SKETCH  OF  THE  PHYSICAL  GEO- 
GRAPHY OF  BRAZIL.” 

I HAVE  been  induced  to  write  this  paper,  not  only  so  much 
on  account  of  the  extraordinary  illusions  that  exist  with  regard  to 
Brazil,  but  to  the  fact  that  nearly  all  maps  (certainly  all  English 
ones),  tend  to  create  a most  erroneous  idea  of  the  country,  by 
representing  it  to  be  a very  mountainous  land,  rather  than  what 
it  is,  chiefly  a vast  plateau,  excavated  into  numerous  valleys  by 
denudations,  with  relatively  few  purely  mountain  chains,  that  is, 
true  mountains  of  upheaved  strata.  It  is  much  to’  be  regretted, 
that  English  map-makers  do  not  avail  themselves  more  of  the 
rich  stores  of  geographical  information  yearly  collected  by  tra- 
vellers in  all  parts  of  the  globe.  For  instance,  it  is  now  nearly 
ten  years  since  I had  the  honour  to  present  to  this  Society  infor- 
mation and  a sketch  map  of  a considerable  portion  of  unknown 
Brazil,  wherein  was  shown  the  interesting  fact,  that  north-east 
Brazil  is  practically  an  island,  but  in  no  English  map  of  the 
country  is  yet  indicated  this  fact,  whereas  both  German  and  Bra- 
zilian map-makers  have  minutely  followed  my  surveys. 

A glance  at  the  sketch-map ‘ will  show  four  main  features  in  the 
physiognomy  of  the  country.  Firstly,  the  low-lying  vast  flat  plains 


* See  Physical  Map  of  Brazil  at  end  of  volume. 


360  The  Watersheds  of  Brazil. 

of  the  Amazons,  as  Humboldt  called  that  great  hollow  ; and  the 
flat  grassy  plains  of  the  Rio  Paraguay.  Secondly,  the  elevated 
highlands  that  extend  over  the  major  part  of  the  empire  north 
and  south  of  the  Amazons.  Thirdly,  the  yet  higher  lands  that 
constitute  the  watersheds  of  the  principal  rivers.  Fourthly,  the 
groups  of  mountain  ranges  consisting  of  primitive  rocks  of  purely 
upheaved  strata. 

This  vast  area  contains  naturally  so  many  varying  constituent 
elements,  that  to  deal  with  them  in  the  short  compass  of  this 
paper,  I am  necessarily  compelled  to  treat  the  subject  in  the 
broadest  manner  possible,  commensurate  with  a facile  compre- 
hension of  my  purpose.  With  this  view,  I have  divided  the 
whole  area  into  three  great  hydrographic  sections,  or  systems, 
and  if  the  positions  of  their  watersheds  are  retained  upon  the 
memory,  it  will  greatly  help  to  a lasting  impression  of  the  con- 
figuration of  the  country.  I will  now  trace  the  course  of  these 
divides. 

It  will  be  seen  that  a line  of  elevation  bisects  the  centre  of  the 
South  American  continent,  rising  gradually  from  west  to  east.  Its 
western  section,  although  such  a prominent  watershed,  consists  of 
a series  of  groups  of  wide  undulating  table-lands,  intersected  by 
the  numerous  sources  of  the  streams  that  run  to  the  north  and  to 
the  south.  The  separation  between  many  of  these  waters,  flow- 
ing parallel  to*  each  other,  yet  in  opposite  directions,  is  so  slight, 
that  in  many  cases,  the  basin  of  the  Amazons  could  with  facility 
be  connected  with  that  of  the  Plate  rivers  by  canals,  and  communica- 
tion by  water  rendered  complete  from  one  system  to  the  other.  For 
instance,  near  the  city  of  Matto  Grosso,  the  Rio  Alegre,  a feeder 
of  the  Amazonian  Rio  Guapor^,  rises  in  a small  elevation  jointly 
with  the  Rio  Agoapehy,  a tributary  of  the  Rio  Paraguay.  These  two 
baby  sources  of  mighty  rivers  flow  eastward  a few  miles  apart  side 
by  side,  for  twenty  to  thirty  miles,  through  undulating  grassy  country, 
and  many  of  their  own  branches  are  divided  from  each  other  by 
only  a few  hundred  yards,  and  canoes  have  been  dragged  from  one 
stream  to  the  other  over  the  intervening  lowland.  There  are 
other  similar  near  connections  of  opposite  flowing  rivers,  separated 
only  by  low-lying  land  ; the  head-waters  of  the  Tapajos  nearly 


Thk  Watkrsiikds  of  Brazil.  361 

join  those  of  the  Rio  Sarare,  another  tributary  of  the  Guapore, 
and  the  Rios  Xingu  and  Araguaya  are  nearly  connected  with  those 
of  the  Paraguay.  Near  the  borders  of  Matto  Grosso  and  Goyaz 
the  line  of  these  table-lands  bifurcates,  one  branch  trending  south- 
ward, still  in  the  form  of  wide  elevated  flats,  the  other  runs  north- 
east, and  assumes  more  the  form  of  a series  of  ridges  and  isolated 
peaked  hills,  known  as  the  Serra  do  Cayapd,  and  Serra  das 
Divisoes  do  Rio  Claro.  Near  the  city  of  Goyaz  the  divide  be- 
comes distinctly  mountainous,  and  the  ranges  radiate  in  all 
directions  ; here  are  the  Montes  Pyrenees,  that  constitute,  as  far  as 
is  yet  known,  the  second  most  elevated  ridge  in  Brazil,  attaining  to 
heights  variously  estimated  at  7700  and  9700  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  But  beyond  this  point,  as  this  watershed  runs  north, 
and  forms  the  divide  between  the  Tocantins  and  S.  Francisco,  it 
is  no  more  in  the  form  of  mountains  as  is  usually  depicted  on 
maps,  but  really  as  a wide  sterile  sandy  plateau,  thinly  covered 

with  small  scrub  and  tufts  of  wiry  grasses.  In  this  wide  flat 

ridge  a traveller  can  often  journey  100  miles  without  meeting 

water,  or  he  can  traverse  it  in  a canoe  from  Barra  do  Rio  Grande, 

on  the  Rio  S.  Francisco,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  de  Somno,  on 
the  Tocantins.  This  high  elevated  plateau,  known  as  the  Chapada 
da  Mangabeira,  extends  to  latitude  10°  south,  where  it  joins  a 
similar  high  flat  plateau  that  forms  a horseshoe  in  its  course,  and 
constitutes  the  watershed  of  the  rivers  of  north-east  Brazil. 
Now  returning  to  the  Montes  Pyreneos,  it  will  be  seen  that 
another  continuation  of  the  central  ridge  proceeds  towards,  and 
joins  on  to  the  Maritime  range,  and  forms  the  divide  between  the 
S.  Francisco  and  River  Plate  basins.  This  again  cannot  be  con- 
sidered as  a mountain  range  as  commonly  represented,  for  the 
greater  part  of  it  consists  of  great  rolling  rounded  hills,  with  occa- 
sional peaks  and  many  flat-topped  table-lands ; but  as  it  nears  the 
Maritime  range,  it  becomes  more  elevated,  and  terminates  in  dis- 
tinct ranges  of  granitic  gneiss,  and  in  hills  largely  composed  of 
exceedingly  rich  ironstone. 

In  this  neighbourhood  the  surface  of  the  land  is  extremely 
irregular  and  mountainous.  One  range,  formerly  known  as  the 
Serra  de  Deos  te  livre  (meaning  “The  Lord  deliver  you  Moun. 


362 


The  Watersheds  of  Brazil. 


tains”),  is  sufficiently  expressive  in  its  name  of  its  rugged  paths, 
deep  defiles  and  precipices. 

The  point  of  intersection  of  the  central  watershed  with  the  Mari- 
time range  is  geographically  a most  interesting  locality,  for  its  lofty 
ridges  constitute  a divide  of  waters  that  flow  to  the  four  quarters  of 
the  compass.  See  how  relatively  near  the  coast  are  some  of  the 
sources  of  the  S.  Francisco  and  River  Plate  rivers,  that  flow  in  oppo- 
site directions  through  thousands  of  miles  of  valleys,  to  their  distant 
outlets  in  the  Atlantic,  and  probably,  of  the  rains  tliat  fall  on  some 
of  the  dividing  hills,  one  part  is  carried  away  to  the  north,  the  other 
to  the  south. 

Let  us  now  trace  this  great  Maritime  range,  the  great  bulwark  of 
the  Brazilian  plateau.  It  commences  in  the  southern  province  of 
Rio  Grande  do  Sul ; starting  from  the  western  boundary  of  the 
province  on  the  Rio  Uruguay,  it  proceeds  towards  the  coast  in  the 
form  of  a series  of  slopes  facing  the  south,  and  constitutes  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Brazilian  plateau  ; after  approaching 
within  a few  miles  of  the  coast  it  accompanies  it  northwards,  some- 
times hugging  the  shore,  sometimes  many  miles  inland,  until  it 
reaches  Cape  Frio. 

From  the  summit  of  its  seaward  face,  the  surface  of  the  ground 
and  the  rivers,  slope  with  gentle  gradients  towards  the  River  Plate 
basin.  In  many  places  where  these  great  bluffs  approach  the  shore, 
their  varied  outline,  and  serried  walls  covered  with  forest,  their  deep 
recesses,  their  crags  and  peaks,  present  some  of  the  most  cliarming 
mountainous  coast  scenery  of  the  world.  At  Cape  Frio  it  terminates 
in  great  scarped  hills  of  granitic  gneiss ; hoary,  time-worn  and 
weather-beaten — defenders  of  the  coast-line  against  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  sea. 

At  Rio  de  Janeiro  this  grand  line  of  rocky  mountains  culminates 
in  the  Serra  des  Orgaos  in  altitudes  7000  to  8000  feet  above  the  sea. 
The  land-locked  bay  of  this  city,  surrounded  as  it  is  by  scattered 
groups  of  mountains  of  this  range,  presents  such  marvels  of  scenery, 
that  no  port  in  the  world,  not  even  Naples,  Sydney,  San  Francisco, 
or  Constantinople,  can  compare  wdth  it  in  its  manifold  beauties,  all 
must  yield  the  palm  to  the  lovely  bay  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

Now  leaving  the  coast  range,  and  proceeding  northwards  through 


Tur.  Watkrsiikds  of  Brazil. 


363 


the  great  cofiee  districts,  we  dip  into  the  valley  of  the  Parahyba,  and 
asjain  ascending,  reach  the  most  celebrated  ridge  in  the  country,  the 
Serra  da  Mantequeira.  It  rises  in  S.  Paulo,  where  a branch  trends 
northwards  and  forms  one  of  the  walls  of  the  basin  of  the  Rio 
Grande  ; the  main  line  continues  up  the  western  side  of  the  Parahyba 
in  the  form  of  lofty  precipitous  wooded  slopes,  often  rising  to  great 
boulder-strewn  crags  and  pinnacles.  It  faces  the  south,  exposed  to 
the  moisture-laden  winds  of  the  ocean,  that  are  condensed  into  almost 
daily  rains.  Here  is  situated  the  Peak  of  Itatiaia-assu,  the  most  lofty 
known  elevation  of  Brazil,  10,040  feet  above  the  sea,  and  only  sixty 
miles  from  the  coast  in  a straight  line.  As  far  as  Ouro  Preto,  the 
range  presents  more  or  less  the  same  character,  a sharp  rugged  ascent 
from  the  south  and  south-east,  and  very  gentle  gradients  to  the 
north  and  west  in  the  form  of  a great  undulating  grassy  table-land. 
At,  and  a little  beyond  Ouro  Preto,  it  gives  birth  to  innumerable 
streams,  that  have  excavated  deep  cavernous  valleys,  giving  the 
intervening  highlands  the  appearance  of  mountains  that  are  often 
really  denudation  mountains.  Some  of  these  ridges  of  primitive 
rocks  attain  great  altitudes,  notably  Itacolumi,  near  Ouro  Preto,  and 
the  peak  of  Itambe  further  north.  Beyond  Ouro  Preto  the  main 
range  rapidly  begins  to  assume  the  character  of  a high  table-land, 
that  widens  as  it  advances  into  Bahia;  it  crosses  this  province  in 
great  wide  sandy  plateaux,  with  an  occasional  upheaved  dyke-like 
ridge  here  and  there  or  showing  where  a local  mass  of  harder 
materials  has  resisted  the  disintegrating  and  denuding  influences  of 
time  and  weather.  Its  course  is  bisected  by  the  Rio  S.  Francisco, 
that  plunges  into  the  lower  seaw'ard  plateau  at  the  great  falls  of  the 
Paulo  Affonso,  the  Niagara  of  Brazil.  A little  further  on,  in  the 
province  of  Pernambuco,  it  joins  the  eastern  arm  of  the  north- 
eastern watershed,  and  together  the  plateaux  extend  to  Cape  S. 
Roque,  another  prominent  advanced  outpost  of  the  shore-line. 

Thus  I have  briefly  traced  the  main  framework  of  inland  Brazil, 
the  chief  bones  of  the  monster,  and  in  following  the  course  of  these 
elevated  lands,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  rivers  of  Brazil  are  divided 
into  three  great  systems  ; — the  basin  of  the  Amazons,  the  basin  of 
the  Plate  rivers,  and  the  many  distinct  and  separate  rivers  running 
eastwardly  into  the  Atlantic.  Taking  these  riverine  systems  in  the 


364 


The  Basin  of  the  Amazons. 


order  mentioned,  I will  endeavour  to  say  something  of  each,  and 
point  out  their  different  prominent  characteristics. 

In  the  Amazons  system,  for  the  sake  of  brevity,  I have  included 
the  Tocantins  and  Araguaya,  yet,  although  they  are  not  now  tribu- 
taries of  that  great  river,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  they  were 
formerly,  when  the  river  Para,  was  once  one  of  the  true  mouths  of 
the  Amazons. 

This  Amazons  basin  consists  of  the  bottle-shaped  low-lying 
forest  of  its  upper  valley,  1300  miles  long  by  800  miles  broad,  and 
the  circumscribing  elevated  table-lands,  that  near  Obidos  and  San- 
tarem,  approach  close  to  the  banks  of  the  main  river,  and  constitute 
the  neck  of  this  stupendous  bottle  of  vegetables.  Throughout  the 
length  of  this  river,  east  and  west  of  Obidos,  the  adjoining  land  is 
so  low  and  flat  that  it  is  in  many  cases  rather  a series  of  more  or  less 
parallel  streams  than  one  great  clearly  defined  stream.  It  is  possible 
to  go  in  a canoe  up  the  whole  of  the  valley  in  these  lateral  channels 
(locally  termed  Paranamerins),  and  also  pass  through  the  deep 
forests  by  natural  canals,  from  one  tributary  to  another,  without  once 
entering  the  main  river. 

It  is  a singular  feature  of  the  Amazons  valley,  lying  as  it  does, 
such  a mass  of  water  in  the  Equatorial  regions,  that  it  is  so  healthy 
as  it  really  is,  although  some  of  its  tributaries  are  however  very 
insalubrious,  and  where  life  in  any  condition  is  made  a misery  by 
the  insect  pests,  yet  I have  never  met  any  one  who  has  had  an  e.\- 
perience  of  life  on  the  Amazons,  who  has  not  become  passionately 
fond  of  it.  The  glorious  vegetation,  the  life  free  from  conventionali- 
ties, the  brilliant  sunlight  and  warmth  tempered  by  fresh  breezes, 
contain  some  of  the  elements  of  making  a paradise,  and  the  numerous 
lines  of  river  steamers  now  plying  on  these  majestic  waters  afford 
means  for  rapid  communication,  and  of  obtaining  the  necessaries 
and  luxuries  of  life  for  the  settlers. 

The  vegetation  of  this  great  valley  is  essentially  different  to  what 
is  found  in  the  other  two  riverine  systems ; it  is  vaster,  purely  tropi- 
cal in  character,  and  contains  a growth  and  variety  peculiar  to 
itself.  The  rich  low-lying  lands,  subject  to  annual  inundations,  fre- 
(picnt  rains  all  the  year,  and  the  continual  heat,  produce  a vast 
wealth  of  dense  tropical  verdure  and  a forest  area  greater  than  can 


The  Basin  of  the  Amazons. 


365 


be  found  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe,  intersected  by  thousands 
of  miles  of  immense  navigable  streams,  that  to  the  traveller  appear 
more  like  grand  inland  seas  rather  than  rivers. 

Amongst  the  immense  stores  of  valuable  vegetable  productions  of 
this  great  forest,  the  indiarubber-tree  figures  pre-eminently.  It  exists 
in  such  vast  quantities,  and  the  collection  of  the  juice  is  so  very 
lucrative,  that  it  has  attracted  to  even  the  most  remote  rivers  thou- 
sands of  adventurous  Brazilians  from  the  adjoining  provinces ; and 
despite  the  hardships,  perils,  and  privations  of  such  a life,  still  flows 
on  the  tide  of  eager  hunters.  Rubber  is  doing  to  the  Amazons  what 
gold  did  for  Australia  and  California ; although  most  other  indus- 
tries on  the  Amazons  are  neglected  and  paralyzed,  rubber  has  enabled 
Para,  Manaos,  and  other  riverine  cities  to  make  unprecedented  pro- 
gress, and  it  has  covered  thousands  of  miles  of  rivers  with  steamers, 
and  spread  a population  over  vast  areas  that  otherwise  would  have 
remained  dormant  for  many,  many  years. 

So  little  relatively  is  as  yet  known  of  the  river,  that  it  is  still  a 
question  of  dispute  amongst  geographers,  as  to  whether  the  Para 
river  is  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  Amazons  or  not.  When,  however, 
it  is  remembered,  as  can  be  proved,  that  the  quantity  of  water  pass- 
ing the  city  of  Para  is  relatively  little  in  excess  of  what  is  found  at 
the  actual  junction  of  the  Tocantins  with  the  waters  of  the  Uanapu, 
Pacajas,  Camaraipy,  and  Jacunda,  there  is  very  little  room  left  for 
the  Amazons  water— in  fact,  the  Amazons  is  only  connected  with 
the  Para  river  by  a number  of  narrow  furos  or  channels,  so  narrow 
that  steamers  proceeding  through  them  from  Para  to  the  Amazons 
almost  graze  the  bushes  on  each  side,  and  the  volume  of  water  that 
can  flow'  through  these  furos  is  really  insignificant  in  proportion  to 
the  volume  of  water  of  the  Tocantins  group ; so  I see  no  reason 
why  the  Para  river  should  be  considered  as  one  of  the  mouths  of 
the  Amazons.  Undoubtedly  it  w'as  so  formerly,  but  the  meeting  of 
the  flow  of  water  of  the  Tocantins  group  wuth  the  main  river  has 
evidently  silted  up  the  old  wide  channel,  of  which  part  still  exists, 
but  its  western  extremity  is  now  closed,  and  the  mass  of  w'ater  of 
the  Amazons  finds  its  way  direct  to  the  sea.  This  exit  of  the 
Amazons  has  not  yet  been  surveyed.  I feel  convinced  that  a much 
better  channel  could  be  found  here  for  Atlantic  steamers  proceeding 


366  The  Walls  of  the  Amazons  Valley. 

up  the  river,  rather  than  through  the  narrow  tortuous  channels 
between  Para  and  that  river. 

To  anyone  ascending  the  Amazons  river,  a most  noticeable  feature 
strikes  his  attention,  namely  the  table-topped  hills  of  the  Serras  de 
Erere  and  Obidos,  and  the  somewhat  similar  formation  on  the  oppo- 
site bank,  at  the  rear  of  Santarem.  These  opposite  highlands  form 
the  walls  of  the  valley  through  which  the  river,  once  probably  a great 
inland  lake,  has  excavated  its  way  to  the  sea.  It  is  really  a mistake 
to  call  these  heights  Serras,  for  the  word  Serra  implies  a range  of 
hills  or  mountains,  and  the  so-called  Serras  of  Erere  are  no  more 
entitled  to  be  considered  as  a mountain  range,  than  are  our  Dover 
cliffs.  Their  summits,  instead  of  being  ridges,  extend  in  the  form 
of  undulating  savannahs  far  inland,  ever  ascending,  furrowed  into 
hollows  and  valleys,  by  many  a stream  or  watercourse.  Strange  and 
interesting  as  is  the  appearance  of  these  cliffs  of  1000  feet  high,  yet 
they  are  not  exceptional  to  the  basin  of  the  Amazons  ; at  its  farthest 
western  extremity  in  the  Serra  de  Cupati,  bordering  the  banks  of  the 
Rio  Japura,  and  also  in  the  western  face  of  the  Chapada  da  Manga- 
beira,  are  encountered  identical  formations,  and  even  to  the  north, 
in  Roraima  and  its  brother  Kukenam,  also  exists  a somewhat  similar 
appearance.  These  great  precipitous  bluffs  and  isolated  table-topped 
hills  are  indicative,  or  at  least  suggestive,  of  a great  denudation  that 
has  either  long  since  occurred  or  is  yet  happening.  I rather  am 
disposed  to  the  latter  supposition,  especially  in  viewing  the  appear- 
ance of  the  western  face  of  the  Chapada  da  Mangabeira,  the 
Tocantins  S.  Francisco  watershed  ; from  the  S.  Francisco  it  rises 
gradually  and  by  regular  gradients  to  the  divide,  where  it  appears 
as  i^erpendicular  walls  of  sandstone  with  flat  summits,  and  presents 
an  ap])earance,  when  view^ed  from  the  east,  of  gigantic  fortresses. 
'I’he  base  of  these  cliffs  is  composed  of  a natural  earth  sloj)e  of  the 
modern  debris  of  the  fallen  material  of  the  w'alls.  That  this  table- 
land extended  yet  further  to  the  west  twenty,  thirty,  or  sixty  miles, 
is  evident  by  the  detached  groups  of  flat-to])ped  hills  that  one  meets 
with  at  these  distances  of  identical  formations,  and  many  of  whose 
summits  arc  ])Mctically  level  with  the  main  table-land.  I have 
ascended  to  the  top  of  one  of  these  miniature  Roraimas,  and  found 
a vegetation  and  soil  precisely  similar  to  that  on  the  great  i)laleau, 


The  “Plate”  Basin. 


367 


whereas  the  vegetation  of  the  surrounding  lowlands  was  quite  different 
in  its  character.  Some  of  these  isolated  table-topped  hills  are  split 
across,  and  the  extremities  appear  ready  at  any  moment  to  fall  and 
add  their  elements  to  the  adjoining  lowlands.  The  sketch  of  the 
Morro  do  Munducuru,^  a hill  some  sixty  miles  away  from  the  main 
table  hands,  will  better  indicate  my  suggestion  of  continual  de- 
nudation that  is  so  evidently  apparent  in  the  impending  fall  of  one 
extremity. 

The  Amazons  presents  another  peculiar  characteristic,  namely 
the  absence  of  a delta,  for  although  the  exit  of  the  river  is  amidst 
the  channels  of  a great  archipelago  of  islands,  yet  these  islands 
are  largely  composed  of  a rocky  basis.  In  fact,  rather  the  reverse 
of  a delta  exists,  as  it  can  be  proved  that  the  sea  is  encroaching 
upon  and  eating  away  the  land  faster  than  the  river  can  deposit 
its  alluvial  matter ; yet  so  great  is  the  force  of  this  mighty  monarch 
of  rivers,  that  its  discoloured  waters  can  be  sighted  at  sea  100  miles 
from  land. 

The  Plate  basin  differs  from  the  Amazons  basin  in  the  following  fea- 
tures. The  climate  is  more  variable,  the  rainy  and  dry  seasons  are  more 
distinct.  The  low  plains,  instead  of  being  covered  with  forests,  are 
often  vast  flat  areas  of  grass  and  scrub,  subject  to  inundations  from 
the  rivers  ; the  vegetation  is  less  tropical  in  character’  in  fact,  on  the 
Parana  and  adjoining  rivers  are  considerable  forests  of  the  araucaria 
pine  and  other  trees  of  temperate  regions.  The  north-east  section 
of  this  basin  consists  of  part  of  the  undulating  great  Brazilian 
plateau,  with  belts  of  forest  existing  only  in  the  valleys  of  the  rivers. 
The  Rio  Grande  and  Rio  Parana  traverse  the  great  southern  table- 
land of  the  Plate  basin,  the  latter  river  entering  the  lower  level  of 
the  plateau  at  the  falls  of  the  “ Sete  Quedas.”  This  north-east 
section  comprises  admirable  fields  for  future  colonization,  a fine 
climate  and  a good  soil,  both  for  grazing  and  for  agriculture,  but  it 
requires  development  of  communications ; at  present  a colonist 
would  find  the  value  of  his  products  absorbed  in  cost  of  transport. 
A considerable  part  of  this  basin  is  unpopulated,  except  by  a few 
poor  tribes  of  Indians  ; but  on  the  Paraguay,  and  the  extreme  north- 
east, and  the  section  in  S.  Paulo,  Rio  Grande,  and  Parana,  near  the 
- See  page  180,  vol.  ii. 


368  The  Valley  of  the  Rio  S.  Francisco. 

coast  range,  there  is  a considerable  population,  principally  devoted 
to  cattle-raising  and  agriculture,  and  the  modern  railways  in 
S.  Paulo  and  Rio  Grande,  have  undoubtedly  given  a great  impetus 
to  the  progress  of  the  country,  aided  as  it  has  been  by  German  and 
Italian  immigrants. 

The  third  division  of  the  empire,  containing  the  rivers  flowing 
from  the  coast  ranges  and  the  central  watershed,  to  the  Atlantic, 
also  possesses  characteristics  of  its  own,  different  to  the  Amazon  and 
Plate  basins.  In  the  southern  portion,  from  Rio  Grande  as  far  as 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  coast  range,  “ Serra  do  Mar,”  gives  rise  to 
numerous  precipitous  streams  falling  into  the  Atlantic.  The  Rio 
S.  Francisco,  that  might  well  be  considered  a distinct  basin,  as  it 
really  is,  I have  included  in  this  section.  It  is  accompanied  during 
the  greater  part  of  its  course  by  the  bluff's  of  table-lands  on  each  side 
of  its  valley ; sometimes  they  approach  near  the  banks  and  form 
healthy  situations  for  townships;  at  other  times  the  table-lands  are 
only  seen  ten  or  twenty  miles  away  from  the  river.  In  almost  every 
case  these  bluff's  or  cliffs  are  designated  as  Serras,  a very  great  mis- 
take, for  they  should  be  called  “ Taboleiros  ” (table-lands).  Near  the 
village  of  Jacare  and  at  Sao  Bom  Jezus  da  Lapa,  are  some  very 
curious  limestone  formations ; they  rise  abruptly  with  perpendicular 
sides  from  a plain,  their  summits  are  weather-worn  into  pinnacles, 
points,  and  towers,  with  the  interstices  filled  with  the  talk  blue 
candelabra-like  Munducuru  cactus.  Their  fronts  are  stained  and 
hoary  with  time,  they  look  what  I believe  them  to  be,  the  ancient 
bones  of  the  plateau  that  once  filled  the  valley,  their  softer  sur- 
rounding materials  having  long  since  been  denuded  and  carried 
away  to  the  distant  Atlantic.  The  valley  of  the  S.  h'rancisco,  is 
very  different  to  that  of  the  Amazons,  in  the  absence  of  anything 
like  the  vast  forest  of  the  latter.  The  former  only  shows  forest  on 
the  immediate  banks  of  the  stream,  behind  which  arc  lower  levels  of 
lagoons,  that  accompany  the  river  on  its  course,  they  vary  in  width 
from  a few  yards  to  a few  miles,  and  often  extend  to  the  foot  of  the 
adjoining  slopes  of  the  table-land.  The  great  part  of  the  lowland 
of  the  valley,  where  not  swampy,  is  covered  with  a dwarfed,  scrubby 
vegetation,  and  tracts  of  grass-lands  with  occasional  small  extents 
of  forest.  This  river,  in  many  parts  is  e.xtremcly  unhealthy. 


Tin;  Valleys  of  the  Searoakd. 


369 


especially  in  the  upper  course.  V'et  with  a little  work,  these  mala- 
rious lagoons  might  easily  be  drained  as  the  water  of  the  river 
subsides,  and  these  localities  might  be  turned  into  extraordinarily 
rich  and  fertile  lands,  instead  of  being  uninhabitable  in  many 
parts,  as  at  present. 

To  the  east  and  north  of  the  S.  Francisco  valley,  are  the 
remaining  riverine  depressions  that  constitute  the  rest  of  the 
Atlantic  river  system.  Here  there  are  so  many  rivers,  each  con- 
taining its  own  basin  distinct,  that  it  is  impossible  in  the  compass 
of  this  paper  to  mention  the  numerous  little  groups ; suffice  to  say 
filiat  the  north-east  rivers  rise  in  the  elevated  ridges  of  the  north-east 
watershed,  and  flow  by  gentle  gradients  to  the  sea.  The  rivers 
Gurupy,  Mearim,  Itapucuru,  and  Pamahyba,  are  navigable  for  the 
greater  part  of  their  length,  as  are  also  many  of  the  Atlantic  rivers 
from  the  eastern  divide  of  theS.  Francisco.  This  region,  although  in 
many  parts  much  broken  up  by  isolated  groups  of  hills  and  flat-topped 
elevations,  is  fairly  regular.  The  Northern  provinces  of  Ceara, 
Parahyba,  Rio  Grande  do  Norte,  and  Pernambuco  are  much  subject 
to  great  and  devastating  droughts,  that  cause  an  immense  amount 
of  misery  and  suffering. 

This  third  hydrographic  division  contains  within  itself  the  greater 
part  of  the  population,  wealth,  and  industry  of  the  empire.  Its 
climate  varies  from  the  genial  climate  of  32°  south  latitude  to  the 
damp  heat  of  the  Equator,  and  comprises  an  immense  variety  of 
soil  and  vegetation,  from  the  forest-clad  slopes  of  the  Serra  do  Mar 
and  Mantequeira;  the  woods  and  plains,  of  Rio  de  Janeiro;  the 
virgin  forests  of  the  Rio  Doce  ; the  arid  table-lands  of  Bahia,  with 
their  stores  of  mineral  wealth  ; the  rich  mineral  mountains  of  Minas 
Geraes  ; the  sandy  table-lands  of  the  head-waters  of  the  north-east 
division  of  the  empire,  and  the  intervening  belt  of  forest  at  the  foot  of 
the  coast  slopes  of  the  table-land,  that  terminates  in  low  grassy  plains, 
broken  by  occasional  groups  of  hills. 

In  reviewing  the  subjects  I have  treated,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
positions  of  the  highest  altitudes  are  practically  in  a straight  line, 
for  if  a line  is  subtended  from  Roraima  in  the  most  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  empire  to  the  peak  of  Itatiaia-assu  in  the  south,  it  will 
cut  through  the  Montes  Pyreneos  in  Goyaz,  showing  respective 

VOL.  II.  B b 


370  Depression  in  the  South  American  Continent. 


heights  of  8600,  10,040,  9700  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the 
highest  being  Itatiaia-assu,  near  the  southern  coast,  and- lowest 
Roraima  in  the  north. 

It  is  also  interesting  to  note  the  great  depression  that  extends 
through  the  centre  of  the  South  American  continent,  practically 
similar  to  what  exists  in  the  North  American.  For  instance,  a 
canoe  can  be  navigated  from  the  Rio  Orinoco  to  the  Rio  Negro, 
thence  to  the  Amazons,  then  up  the  Rios  Maderia,  Maraor^,  Gua- 
pord,  and  Alegre,  here  it  \vill  not  be  more  than  500  or  600  feet 
above  the  sea  ; the  canoe  can  then  be  hauled  across  a low  grassy 
flat  as  is  often  done,  to  the  Rio  Agoapehy,  then  descend  by  th# 
Rio  Jauru  and  Rio  Paraguay,  to  Buenos  Ayres.  The  distance  from 
the  Amazons  to  the  Plate  by  this  route  is  about  2500  miles,  of  which 
1650  have  already  been  traversed  by  steamers,  leaving  yet  850  miles 
to  be  navigated.  But  it  must  not  be  inferred,  that,  the  whole  of 
this  route  offers  an  almost  uninterrupted  course  of  navigable 
rivers;  on  the  contrary,  the  remaining'85o  miles  that  have  not  been 
explored  by  steamers,  not  only  contain  insurmountable  obstacles  to 
the  passage  of  even  the  lightest  draught  steamer,  but  also  in  many 
places  even  to  the  ascent  of  a canoe.  Yet  this  route  will  most 
probably  be,  in  the  more  or  less  remote  future,  the  main  line  of  in- 
ternal communication.  By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  lands  of  this 
natural  way  are  as  undeveloped  as  the  Congo  of  Africa — in  fact, 
more  so,  as  the  districts  are  only  thinly  populated  by  Indians  and  a 
very  few  settlers.  There  is  also  the  connection  between  the  Rio 
S.  Francisco  and  Rio  Tocantins.  A canoe  can  leave  the  former 
river  and  go  up  the  Rios  Grande,  Preto,  and  Sapao.  The  source  of 
this  last  river  is  in  a beautiful  lake  in  a valley  surrounded  by  fortress- 
looking table-topped  hills ; the  margins  of  the  lake  are  bordered  by 
groves  of  grand  Burity  palms  {Mauritia  vinifera  ;)  on  the  west  the 
lake  drains  out  in  a quick-flowing  considerable  stream,  the  Rio  Diogo, 
joins  a Rio  Preto,  and  thence  onwards  by  the  Rio  do  Somno 
to  the  'I’ocantins.  This  journey  could  be  made  without  once 
taking  the  canoe  out  of  the  water,  except  to  descend  with  safety  a 
few  rough  bits  of  water  on  the  western  outlet  of  the  lake. 

It  will  be  seen  on  any  map  of  Brazil  that  there  are  many  spaces 
shown  without  rivers,  and  that  many  of  the  distances  between  the 


Distribution  of  1^'orkst  and  Scrub.  371 

indicated  streams  would  scale  many  miles  of  apparently  un watered 
areas ; still,  I imagine  that  there  is  no  country  on  the  globe  so  well 
watered  as  Brazil,  and  my  experience  leads  me  to  believe,  that,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  travel  in  any  part  of  the  country  ten  miles 
without  meeting  water,  excepting  on  the  arid  table-lands  of  some 
of  the  watersheds.  In  a survey  made  down  the  Paraopeba  and 
Upper  S.  Francisco,  in  a distance  of  317  miles  we  passed  seventy- 
seven  streams,  varying  from  at  least  fifteen  feet  wide  to  a much 
greater  width,  besides  innumerable  smaller  streams  and  water- 
courses. But  in  N.E.  Brazil,  there  occasionally  occur  gr^jpt  droughts 
that  dry  up  all  the  streams,  and  even  considerable  rivers,  and  turn 
the  country  into  a veritable  desert. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  vast  as  is  the  Amazon  forest,  it  occupies 
only  about  one-fourth  of  the  area  of  the  empire  ; the  rest  is  taken  up 
by  the  undulating  table-lands  1000  to  3000  feet  above  the  sea, 
mountain  ranges  rising  to  5000  to  10,000  feet,  and  by  the  river 
valleys.  In  addition,  however,  to  the  forests  of  the  Amazons  there  are 
the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Maritime  range,  that  as  far  as  the  meridian 
of  Ouro  Preto  are,  or  were,  primitively  covered  with  indigenous 
forest  growth.  In  the  province  of  Parana  are  also  considerable 
tracts  of  pines  and  other  trees.  In  most  of  the  valleys  are  also 
found  long  narrow  belts  of  forest  bordering  the  rivers ; but  the 
higher  intervening  ground  between  the  valleys  may  safely  be  con- 
sidered as  what  is  known  as  chapadas,  taboleiros,  geraes,  campos, 
cerrados,  that  is,  flat  ridged  or  undulating  country  covered  with 
grass  only  in  places,  or  in  others  by  grass,  bush,  flowering  plants, 
cacti  and  dwarf  palms,  or  by  the  cerrados,  a name  that  cannot  be 
rendered  into  English  as  there  is  nothing  in  Europe  to  correspond 
to  it ; it  practically  means  thick  bush,  having  much  the  appearance 
of  a wild  neglected  English  orchard,  overgrown  with  underwood, 
bushes,  and  grasses;  the  trees  are  small,  extremely  distorted  and 
much  scattered ; they,  are  of  extremely  hardy  varieties,  and  resist 
equally  heat  and  cold,  wet  and  drought.  These  campos  lands  often 
extend  over  great  areas ; in  Goyaz  one  can  travel  for  several  days 
through  such  lands  without  once  sighting  forest  of  any  kind.  The 
atmosphere  of  these  elevations,  especially  of  the  campos,  the  savan- 
nahs, or  prairies  of  Brazil,  is  most  delightful  and  exhilarating.  To 

B b 2 


372 


The  Savannahs  and  Canyons. 


thoroughly  appreciate  it,  one  must  have  resided  for  some  time 
amidst  the  dark  gloom  of  the  forests,  in  their  damp  humid  air  im- 
pregnated with  the  myriad  odours  of  fragrant  or  offensive  plants,  and 
of  rotting  vegetation ; worried  by  the  sting  and  the  monotonous  drone 
and  hum  of  insects  ; bewildered  by  the  maze  and  tangle  of  colossal 
trees  and  creeping  twining  festooned  vines ; and  experience  the 
sense  of  grim  solitude,  and  the  feeling  of  low  depression  that  the 
shady  gloom  produces,  and  then  emerge,  like  from  night  to  day,  on 
to  these  bright  breezy  uplands,  sparkling  with  sunlight,  gemmed  with 
flowers,  fragrant  with  sweet  perfumes,  and  lively  with  the  sounds  of 
birds  whistling,  screaming,  and  warbling  a noisy  concert, — then 
how  one  will  feel  revived  and  take  in  the  pure  serene  atmosphere, 
full  of  ozone,  eagerly  and  with  boyish  inclinations  to  shout,  to 
gallop  your  horse,  anything  to  express  your  feeling  of  ecstasy  and 
delight ! 

From  the  savannahs  of  Roraima,  and  the  campos  of  the  Amazons, 
right  through  Brazil  to  its  southern  provinces,  is  found  on  these 
uplands  this  glorious  atmosphere.  But  delightful  as  it  is,  bright  and 
extensive  the  far-spreading  landscape,  extending  far  away  in  great 
billowy  earth-waves  here  and  there  shadowed  by  the  passing  clouds, 
and  fading  into  the  blue  outlines  of  hills  on  the  horizon,  yet  this 
campos  land  is  considered,  (north  of  the  latitude  of  Ouro  Preto,)  unfit 
for  anything  but  pastoral  purposes.  South  of  this  division  the  soil 
improves  in  richness  and  moisture,  and  much  of  it  can  be  adapted 
to  the  cultivation  of  cereals. 

Another  characteristic  of  these  uplands,  esitecially  of  the  higher 
plateaux  near  the  city  of  Barbacena,  is  the  existence  and  appearance 
of  numerous  great  rugged  hollows  in  the  sides  and  slopes  of  many 
of  the  great  rolling  grass-covered  hills.  These  hollows  are  actually 
landslii)s,  caused  by  the  existence  of  springs  of  water.  The  aspect 
of  these  great  natural  excavations  is  picturesque  in  the  extreme,  both 
in  form  and  colour ; their  sides  arc  worn  into  every  imaginable 
shape,  pinnacles,  domes  and  pointed  towers,  buttresses  and  cavities ; 
ravines,  narrow  deep  and  precipitous,  or  wide  open  spaces  sur- 
rounded by  lofty  i)crpcndicular  walls  riven  by  cracks,  and  ready  to 
fall,  and  add  yet  more  to  the  chaos  of  boulders,  and  fantastic  masses 
of  earth  that  strew  their  floors.  But  it  is  in  their  colour  that  their 


The  Glacial  Theory  of  Brazil.  373 

great  charm  lies.  The  prevailing  tint  is  a deep  Indian  red,  that 
with  the  green  of  the  hills  ahd  the  blue  sky  above,  flecked  with 
glistening  white  clouds,  constitute  a charming  combination  of  tones. 
Any  one  of  these  barrancas,  as  they  are  called,  olTers  excellent  oppor- 
tunities to  the  geologist  for  the  study  of  the  soil,  and  truly  the  appear- 
ance is  often  extremely  interesting.  In  many  of  them  is  found 
lying  upon  beds  of  sandstone  near  the  floor  of  the  hollow,  extensive 
deposits  of  fine  laminated  clays,  varying  in  thickness,  but  frequently 
divided  into  layers  as  thin  as  a sheet  of  paper,  and  consisting  of 
an  infinite  variety  of  colours  of  the  most  opposite  tint  lying  side  by 
side — pink,  blue,  white,  black,  grey,  orange,  crimson,  purple,  and 
yellow'.  Professor  .Agassiz  described  precisely  similar  formations  in 
the  valley  of  the  .Am.izons,  and  found  them  resting  upon  the  sand- 
stone beds  of  the  low'est  formation.  Many  of  these  barrancas 
especially  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sao  Joiro  del  Rey,  show  an  upiier 
stratum  of  white  or  yellow  quartz  gravel  conglomerate,  exceedingly 
rich  in  gold,  and  often  gold  can  be  procured  from  the  surrounding 
earth  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  sides,  making  the  hill  as  it  were 
literally  peppered  with  grains  of  gold.  In  that  district  I have  even 
procured  it  from  the  dust  of  the  highways. 

A characteristic  of  Brazil  is  a rich  red  highly  fertile  clay  soil, 
that  is  found  scattered  over  the  whole  of  the  country.  I have  been 
enabled  to  trace  it  in  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Paraopeba  ; in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Sao  Joao  d’El  Rey  ; the  mouth  of  the  Rio  das 
Velhas ; in  the  valley  of  Rio  Preto,  near  Formosa ; at  Carolina  on 
the  Tocantins;  and  at  Chapada  in  Maranhao.  The  substance  and 
formation  of  this  material,  may  be  briefly  described  as  a sheet  of 
red  unstratified  clay,  interspersed  w'ith  pebbles  and  boulders  over- 
lying  the  rock  in  place.  This  stiff  soft  clay  contains  within  itself 
all  the  mineralogical  elements  usually  found  in  old  metamorphic 
rock,  such  as  granite,  gneiss,  mica,  clay-slate,  &c. ; the  boulders  are 
usually  masses  of  a kind  of  green  stone,  composed  of  an  equal 
amount  of  greenish-black  hornblende,  and  felspar,  and  they  are 
entirely  foreign  to  the  rocks  they  often  rest  upon.  It  is  w'ell  known 
that  this  formation  originated  Agassiz’s  theory  of  an  ancient  glacial 
age  in  Brazil,  but  I believe  that  his  views  have  never  been  endorsed 
by  any  competent  geologist,  and  have  been  ably  and  effectively 


374 


The  Glacial  Theory  of  Brazil. 


controverted  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell.  There  yet  remains  a field  for 
scientists  to  explore  in  definitely  determining  this  curious  pheno- 
menon ; but  Mr.  Buchanan,  of  the  Challenger,  directed  his  attention 
to  it,  and  his  theory  of  its  formation  is  not  only  probable,  but  appeals 
to  one’s  common  sense  without  verging  upon  the  marvellous. 


THE  END. 


'DEJANKmi 


SOUTH  AMERICA 

PHYSK’AL  JLVP  OF  IlKAZIL 

ASKBTrH  INDU'ATlNli  THK 

CONFIIUIRATION  OK  THK  COUNTRY 


SURFACK 


James  W.Vells  M.Inst.  C.E. 


EXPLANATION 


Map  tniLeatr  h^hu  abo»r 


5«nEo 


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X 

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f J 1 ^b\ 

^ V 

v\ 

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V 1 A j 

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i E Y_Ji. 

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JL  * 

r 

®e3^ej(-o  F.»/ll^^»Yn 
A I<  ^ AV^T 

y lP*Vr 

INDEX  OF  CONTENTS 

AND 

GLOSSARY 


OK 

BRAZILIAN  WORDS  AND  IDIOMS  USED  IN  THE  BOOK.. 


Ab.^£te  brilliant,  the  discovery  of 
the,  i.  329. 

Abaete,  the  Rio,  i.  329. 

Abelha  do  cupiin  (bees  that  occupy 
the  nests  of  the  white  ant),  ii. 
127. 

Adventures  with  snakes,  i.  331,  347, 
394  ; ii.  181. 

Ajojo,  or  raft,  described,  the,  ii.  31. 
Amador,  village  of  Manga  do,  i. 
16. 

Anaconda  of  Brazil,  the,  i.  347  ; ii. 
167,  172. 

Animal  life  m palm  forests,  the 
ii.  253. 

Ants,  the  fire-  (formigos  de  fogo), 
ii.  282  ; a battle  of,  ii.  147 ; the 
Sauba,  i.  147,  ii.  58. 

Ant-eater,  the  great,  ii.  141. 

Aranha  d’agua  (pr.  ar-rdhn-yah- 
dahg-oo-a/t),  sting-ray,  ii.  176. 
Arary,  the  port  of,  ii.  299. 

Araujo  {ar-rah-06-shu),  the  outlaw, 

11.  155,  160. 

Architecture,  modern  Brazilian,  i. 

12. 

Armadillo,  the,  i.  153,  225. 
Aroeiro-tree,  the,  i.  223. 


Arrdial  (ar-rah-ee-arl),  a village. 
The  old  Portuguese  meaning  of 
the  word  (now  almost  obsolete) 
is  an  encampment  of  a body  of 
troops.  The  word  was  also  for- 
merly indicative  of  a semi-forti- 
fied village,  and  numbers  of  the 
old  villages  of  Brazil  still  retain 
the  name  of  arraials,  the  same 
as  many  an  old  frontier  fort  or 
block-house  in  North  America 
has  left  the  title  of  fort  to  what 
is  now  a quiet  country  town  or 
village,  ii.  47. 

Arriero  {ar-rey-air-o)  the  cfiief 
muleteer  of  a mule  troop,  i.  55. 

Art  in  Brazil,  i.  24. 

Arucaria  pine,  the,  i.  68. 

Baccahiris  Indians,  the,  ii.  263. 

Bagre,  the  village  of,  i.  262. 

Balsa,  a raft,  ii.  177,  190. 

Balseiros  {bahl-say-rows),  raftsmen, 
ii.  190,  202,  205. 

Bamboos,  fodder  for  cattle,  ii.  121. 

Banana,  the  wild,  ii.  209. 

Baratas  {bar-rdh-tuz),  cockroaches, 
i.  181 ; ii.  175. 


376 


Index. 


Barbacena,  the  city  of.  i.  71  ; its 
imports  and  exports^i.  79. 

Barca  of  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco, 

i.  407. 

Barqueros  (boatmen),  i.  407  ; ii.  59  ; 
etiquette  of,  ii.  33  ; enormous 
appetites  of,  ii.  35  ; patience  and 
endurance  of  the,  ii.  65. 
Barriguda,  or  vegetable  silk-tree, 
the,  i.  399. 

Barro  do  Rio  Grande,  the  city  of, 

ii.  52. 

Bat,  the  vampire,  ii.  1 16,  122. 
Batea,  a gold-washer’s  pan,  i.  94. 
Batuque  dance,  the  [bar-too-kee), 

i.  190,  198,  334- 

Bed,  a convenient  portable  camp, 

ii.  61. 

Bees,  varieties  of,  i,  I47)  201,  221  ; 

ii.  127,  197- 
Beetles,  i.  227. 

Begging,  ii.  28. 

Bico  de  Toucano,  the  paddler,  re- 
sources of,  ii.  225. 

Birni,  the,  an  insect  pest,  i.  147, 
158. 

Bixo  or  bicho  [bee-shii),  a word  that 
expresses  any  living  thing  or 
strange  substance,  an  elephant, 
a foreigner,  an  insect,  or  a ghost, 
i.  50. 

Boating,  rafting,  and  canoeing  ex- 
periences, i.  190,  335;  ii.  31  to 
52,  58  to  68,  193  to  213,  217  to 
228,  265  to  296,  305  to  308. 

Bode  (a  male  goat),  a slang  term 
for  mulattocs,  ii.  16. 

Bom  Jardim,  the  town  of,  ii.  48. 
Boqueirao,  the  Serra  of  {bo-kay- 
roun),  ii-  69. 

Bote,  the  traders’  boat  of  the  Rio 
Tocantins,  ii.  216. 

Botu,  fresh-water  dolphins,  ii.  227. 
Bracken,  the  Brazilian,  i.  S3;  ii. 

187. 


Bravos  (arms)  wanted  in  Brazil,  ii. 
229,  280. 

Brazil,  its  state  in  the  past,  present, 
and  future,  li.  346. 

Brazilians,  the  upper  classes  of,  i. 
II,  28,  31,  39,  213,  247,  250;  ii, 
3,  26,  45,  54,  81,  229,  261,  298, 
308;  industrious,  i.  184,214,251, 
369  ; ii.  20,  50,  78,  100,  162,  174, 
241,  284,  293  ; indolent,  i.  12,  63, 
88,  100,  107,  129,  134,  255,  263, 
267,  297,  33'^,  374,  390,  396,  401  ; 
ii.  17,  23,  28,  71,  84,  loi,  173, 
21 1,  221,  228,  254  ; en/dJis  terri- 
bles,  i.  362,  363  ; ii.  261. 

Brejos,  (swamps  or  marshes,)  of  the 
Rio  Paraopeba,  i.  202  ; of  the 
Rio  Sao  Francisco,  i.  271,  273, 
280,  291,  312,  322,  406;  ii.  17, 
24,  33,  56  ; of  the  Rio  Grande,  ii. 
61,  63,  66  ; of  the  Rio  Grajahu, 
ii.  288. 

British  products  in  Brazil,  ii.  264. 

British  in  Brazil,  the,  i.  33,  47,  75, 
279,  308. 

Buried  alive,  a refuge  from  mos- 
quitoes, ii.  269. 

Burity  palm,  the,  i.  269;  ii.  113, 
121,  131,  139. 

Burityzal,  a cluster  or  grove  of 
Burity  palms  growing  in  a mo- 
rass, ii.  120,  129. 

C.MiE^A  de  frade,  a dwarf  cactus, 
ii.  125. 

Caboclo,  a Brazilian  peasant;  the 
term,  however,  implies  an  Indian 
descent,  ii.  16. 

Cabra  (female  goat),  a term  applied 
to  the  coloured  lower  classes  of 
Brazilian  peasants,  ii.  16. 

Cachai^a,  {kak-s/td/t-sak),  a coarse 
spirit  distilled  from  molasses. 
Restillo  is  the  same  spirit  re- 
distilled. Agoadente  de  cana  is 


Indhx. 


377 


a superior  rum  distilled  from  the 
juice  of  crushed  sugar-cane,  i. 

197. 

Cachoeira  (iuirsh-o-mr-ra/i)  (a 
waterfall,  cataract,  or  rapid)  of 
the  Apertada  Hora,  ii,  191,200, 
202 ; das  llroacas,  i.  326 ; de 
Formoza,  i.  337  ; do  Funil  of  the  , 
I’ariiopeba,  i.,  122;  do  Funil  of 
the  Somno,  ii.  201  ; de  Pirapora,  1 

i.  340  ; de  Paulo  Afibnso,  ii.  362  ; j 
of  the  Tocantins,  modes  of  pass-  | 
ing,  ii.  216. 

Cactus  peculiar  to  limestone  rocks, 

ii.  II,  36. 

Caetatu,  the  common  peccary,  ii. 
209. 

Caju-trees,  i.  255. 

Camarada,  literally  a comrade,  but 
in  Minas  Geraes,  and  in  many 
other  parts  of  Brazil,  it  is  the 
name  for  travellers’  attendants 
and  for  farm -labourers,  for  the 
free  and  independent  Matuto 
objects  to  being  called  a 
“criado”  (servant)  in  a slave-  1 
holding  country,  i.  49. 

Campos  or  prairies,  notes  on  the, 
i.  77,  173  ; exhilarating  atmo- 
sphere of,  i.  70,  173,  368  ; ii.  122, 
371 ; vegetation  of  the,  i.  68,  79, 
253;  ii.  314. 

Camps  and  camp  scenes,  i.  267,  275, 
277,  281,  288,  306T  314,  338;  ii. 
12,  124,  130,  153,  178,  195.  206, 
267,  280,  289,  292. 

Canal  suggested  to  supply  the 
northern  provinces  with  water  in 
time  of  drought,  ii.  85. 

Candles,  wax,  from  the  Carnahuba 
palm,  ii.  47,  264. 

Canga,  a quartz  conglomerate,  one 
of  the  diamantine  formations. 

Canoeing,  see  Boating. 

Capao,  the  Portuguese  for  capon. 


but  in  Brazil  it  is  also  an  abbre- 
viation of  the  Indian  word  “caii- 
poam,”  a island,  or  anything 
round,  a term  that  well  expresses 
the  clumps  and  belts  of  woods 
that  dot  the  open  campos  lands 
like  islands  of  forest  in  a sea  of 
grass,  i.  79. 

Capella  Nova  do  Bitim,  the  village  . 
of,  i.  128,  160. 

Capim  {kah-pcen),  grass.  Ca- 
pim  melado  or  gordura,  or  de 
cheiro,  a tall,  velvety  grass 
thickly  impregnated  with  a viscid 
substance,  and  so  highly  per- 
fumed that  it  scents  the  country- 
side, as  new-mown  hay  will  do 
in  Europe ; it  is  peculiar  to  the 
mountainous  regions  of  Brazil  and 
abandoned  plantations,  and  is 
excellent  fodder,  i.  105. 

Capitalists  in  the  interior  of  Brazil, 
rarity  of  large,  ii.  47. 

Capoeiras  of  Rio,  the  (kah-po- 
airas),  a class  of  vagabonds  and 
assassins,  i.  29. 

Capoeiro,  the  second-growth  forests 
of  abandoned  cultivations  ; ac- 
cording to  its  age  it  is  known  as 
capoeiro  fino  (saplings,  bush,  and 
shrub),  or  capoeiro  (forest),  or 
capoeiro  grosso,  or  capoeirao 
(old  forest,  much  resembling  in 
appearance  the  virgin  forest). 

Capyvara  or  water-hog,  the,  i.  152; 
ii.  108. 

Caraujos  Indians,  the,  ii.  189. 

Carinhanha,  the  city  of  {kar-reen- 
yah?t-yah),  ii.  25  ; the  Rio  de,  ii. 

25.  314- 

Carnahuba  palm,  the  products  of 
the,  ii.  47. 

Carolina,  the  city  of,  ii.  229. 

Carrapatos,  ticks,  i.  90,  147,  150. 

Cascalho,  a gravel  belonging  to 


378 


Index. 


the  diamantine  formation,  i.  330  ; 
ii.  207. 

Cataracts  (see  Cachoeira). 

Cattle  districts,  i.  219,  253,  301,  364; 
ii.  20,  83,  186,  21 1,  314. 

Cattle,  frantic  desire  of,  for  salt,  i. 
195,  272. 

Cavalheiro  d’industria,  a,  ii.  91. 

Cecropia,  candelabra  or  sloth-tree, 
i.  67  ; ii.  94. 

Cedro,  the  cotton  factory  of,  i.  214. 

Central  sugar  .factories,  ii.  343. 

Cerrados  {sair-rardos'),  a class  of 
vegetation  that  is  found  on  all 
the  uplands  of  Brazil,  description 
of,  i.  223. 

Cha.C2ira.(shark-ar-rah),\.h&gxounds 
of  a detached  residence,  as  the 
“ compound  ’’inindia.  InN  orth 
Brazil  the  word  is  substituted  by 
“ sitio,’’ that  is  also  a designation 
for  small  farms. 

Chapadas,  a term  used  in  Brazil  to 
designate  any  wide  flat  extent  of 
land.  The  city  of,  ii.  257  ; da 
Mangabeira,  ii.  144,  155. 

Chapeo  d’Uvas,  the  village  of,  i. 
5&- 

Charming  scenes  and  scenery,  i.  3, 
18,  33,  45,  68,  77,  96,  122,  253, 
288,  312,  325,  334,  349  ; ii.  7,  50, 
64,  76,  94, 1 16,  143,  196,  247,  252, 
266,  274,  294. 

Cherente  Indians,  ii.  162,  219. 

Christrio  ( a Christian),  a name  as- 
sumed by  the  Brazilian  inhabi- 
tants of  Indian  border-lands,  ii. 
158. 

Churches,  i.  14,  23,  24,92,  140,216, 
263,  390  ; ii-  36, 52,  82. 

Clergy  of  inland  Brazil,  the,  i.  112, 
304,  39'- 

Climate  of  Brazil,  ii.  316. 

Climate  of  the  campos,  i.  70,  173. 

Coaching,  i.  44. 


Coffee  traffic  in  Rio,  i.  21 ; districts, 
i.  44. 

Coin,  want  of  small,  i.  297,  364. 

Colonization,  ii.  354. 

Colour,  tropical,  i.  9,  33  ; ii.  293. 

Comarca,  an  area  of  territory  sub- 
ject to  the  jurisdiction  of  ajuiz 
de  Direito ; it  is  divided  into 
freguezias  or  parishes,  and  these 
into  districtos  (districts). 

Comfort  in  Brazil,  absence  of,  ii.  80. 

Congonhas,  cha  de,  a species  of 
matd,  i.  89. 

Congonhas  do  Campos,  the  village 
of,  i.  93. 

Connection  of  the  Siio  Francisco 
and  Tocantins  rivers,  ii,  141,  369. 

Contendas,  the  village  of,  i.  387. 

Copper  regions,  ii.  245,  260,  291. 

Cora^ao  de  Jezus,  the  village  of, 
i-  373- 

Coral-snake,  the  lovely  colours  of 
the,  ii.  253. 

Coroado  Indians,  ii.  161,  218. 

Cost  of  travelling,  i.  189;  on  the 
Rio  Sao  Francisco,  ii.  29;  on 
the  Rio  Grajahu,  ii.  264. 

Cotton  cloth,  native  hand-woven, 

i.  100. 

Cotton  factories,  i.  214;  ii.  35‘- 

Country  fare,  58,  102,  239. 

Crew,  my,  on  the  Siio  Francisco, 

ii.  31,  34,  39  ; on  the  Rio  Grande, 
ii.  59,  65  ; on  the  Rio  do  Somno, 
ii.  190, 198;  on  the  Rio  Tocantins, 
ii.  220 ; on  the  Rio  Grajahu,  ii. 
266,  287. 

Crimes  in  the  interior  often  un- 
punished, ii.  225. 

I Cross,  the  village,  i.  375. 

Curassow,  the,  ii.  198. 

j Curiosity  of  the  country  people,  i. 

i 35  b 374.  388;  ii.  97- 

^ Curioso,  a jack-of-all-trades,  i.  182. 

Currupiiio  bird,  the,  ii.  268. 


Index. 


379 


Dancks,  native,  i.  198  ; ii.  236. 
Debt  of  Brazil,  the  national,  ii.  350. 
Decadence  of  inland  Brazil,  i.  63, 
92,  too,  125,  166,  197,  289,  361, 

391 : i'-  173.  346. 

Deer-hunting,  i.  iii,  292;  ii.  108, 
126,  129;  an  adventure  with  a, 
ii.  182. 

Diamond  formation,  the,  i.  330 ; 
regions,  i.  104,  207,  264,  329,  361  ; 
mines,  ii.  328. 

Disastrous  loss,  a,  ii.  203,  229. 
Discovery,  an  interesting,  ii.  141. 
Dissipation  of  the  country  folk,  i. 
200,  338,  387  ; ii.  17,  23,  39,  49. 
234- 

Diver-bird,  the,  ii.  292. 

Dom  Pedro  Segundo  Railway',  i.  39 ; 
ii.  322  ; prospects  of  future  ex- 
tension of,  i.  358  ; ii.  332. 

Don  Qui.xote,  the  hunter,  ii.  ni, 
132,  135- 

Donna  Chiquinha,  the  monkey,  i. 
320;  ii.  90,  103. 

Dourado-fish,  the,  i.  318,  343  ; ii. 
233- 

Doutor,  the,  i,  298  ; ii.  45. 

Ducks,  and  other  water-fowl, 
varieties  of,  i.  324,  346  ; ii.  56, 
64,  75.  109.  272,  295,  306. 

Ema,  or  South  American  ostrich, 
i.  208. 

Embira-assu,  the  bark  of,  ii.  241. 
Entre  Rios,  the  coffee  district  of, 

i.  44. 

Esmolas  (alms),  ii.  28,  227. 
Espingarda,  the  Riberao  de,  ii. 
197- 

Excursions  in  Rio,  i.  18,  44,  73. 
Expectoration,  a national  habit 
common  to  all  classes  of  Bra- 
zilians, i.  74  ; ii.  97. 

Expedition,  the  nature  of  the,  i.  37  ; 

ii.  27. 


Farinh.a  {Jar-ricn-yah),  a coarse- 
grained flour,  made  either  by 
pounding  maize  (farinha  de 
milho),  or  by  grating  the  roots  of 
mandioca  (farinha  de  mandioca). 
Either  one  or  the  other  of  these 
farinhas  is  found  upon  almost 
every  table  of  all  classes  of 
Brazilians  throughout  the  Em- 
pire, i.  381. 

Farms  and  farmers,  i.  44,  61,  124, 
161,  170,  202,  210,  219,  251,  266, 
302,  315,  369;  ii.  2,  12,  20,  50, 
78,  too,  162,  174,  183,  i'86,  222, 
228,  241,  245,  275,  293,  306. 

Fazenda,  a farm,  or  a plantation  of 
coffee,  sugar,  tobacco,  &c.,  but 
the  great  sugar  estates  of  North 
Brazil  are  known  as  “ engenhos,” 
so  named  after  “engenho,”  a mill ; 
de  Boa  Esperan9a,  ii.  174;  de 
Mesquita,  i.  161  ; de  Mocombo, 
ii.  2 ; de  Mottes,  i.  124-,  de  Sao 
Antonio,  i.  202  ; de  Sao  Sebas- 
tiiio,  i.  251  ; de  Lontra,  i.  210; 
de  Picada,  i.  219;  de  Porto 
Franco,  ii.  186  ; de  Tabua,  ii. 
21  ; d’  Angelino,  ii.  241 ; of  Ma- 
ranhao,  307. 

Feroz  {fay-ross)  and  his  exploits,  i. 
285,  384  ; ii.  95,  199,  209. 

Festa  (or  festival),  a negro,  ii. 
235  ; a church,  ii.  235,  297. 

Fever  districts,  i.  267,  274,  280. 
362;  ii.  231,  290;  varieties  of 
intermittent,  i.  291  ; ravages  of,  i. 
273,  279,  283,  292,  308  ; attacked 
with,  i.  290,  305,  309, ; yellow, 
i.  28  ; ii.  324. 

Finances,  Brazilian,  ii.  349. 

Fish,  of  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  i. 
343 ; of  the  Rio  Tocantins,  ii. 
232 ; modes  of  catching,  i.  260  ; 
shooting,  i.  318;  Indian  mode 
of  cooking,  ii.  194 ; fishing,  i. 


380 


Index. 


1 14,  260;  ii.  67,  194,  271  ; abun- 
dance of,  i.  343  ; ii.  67,  271  ; the 
surubim,  i.  260;  ii.  233;  the 
dourado,  i.  318  ; ii.  233  ; the 
piranha,  ii.  271  ; the  curumatiio, 

i.  312  ; the  mandim,  i.  260  ; the 
matrimxao,  i.  260  ; the  botu,  or 
fresh-water  dolphin,  ii.  227. 

Flooded  lands,  ii.  10,  13,  24,  34,  40, 
61,  294,  298. 

Fogo,  formigos  de  (fire-ants),  ii.282. 

Fording  streams,  i.  263,  283,  357, 
366,  385  ; ii.  152,  177,  178. 

Forest  scenes,  i.  66,  118,  122,  145, 
148,  157,  273,  295,  323,  325,  298: 

ii.  10,  94,  208,  243,252,  270,  274, 
286. 

Formoza,  village  of,  ii.  95. 

Fortress-like  hills  (see  Chapada  da 
Mangabeird) . 

Frogs,  nocturnal  sounds  of,  i.  386  ; 
ii.  289. 

Funeral,  a peasant’s  (see  Wake). 

Fund,  the  rapids  of  (see  Cachoeira). 

Gamblers,  ii.  49,  91. 

Game,  reasons  for  scarcity  of,  in 
inhabited  districts,  i.  397  ; dis- 
tricts, i.  123,  190 ; ii.  131,  165  ; 
partridges,  i.  294;  deer,  peccaries, 
ii.  131,  165,  209;  jaguars,  ii.  J31, 
196,  21 1 ; pacas,  i.  190. 

Gamella  Indians,  ii.  274. 

Gammeleira-tree,  a wild  fig,  i.  205  ; 
ii.  267. 

Gaols,  country,  ii.  26. 

Gardner,  the  naturalist,  ii.  1 14. 

Garimpeiro  {gdr-em-pear-o),  a 
diamond-digger. 

Geraes,  wild  moorlands  {i^cc-risc), 
ii.  1 12,  122. 

Geralistas,  inhabitants  of  the 
geraes,  ii.  183. 

Gipsies,  Brazilian,  i.  379. 

Glacial  theory  of  Brazil,  ii.  372. 


Goitre,  i.  168,  265. 

Gold,  districts,  i.  94,  258,  304,  361  ; 

ii.  173  ; mining,  ii.  325. 

Golfoes,  (water-lilies),  ii.  63. 

Grass  (see  Capim)  fires,  i.  312. 
Gravata,  the  wild  pine-apple,  ii. 
267. 

Guajajara  Indians,  ii.  263. 

Gudra  (wolf),  i.  292. 

Guariba,  the  howling  monkey,  i. 
320 ; ii.  267. 

Guariroba  palm,  the,  i.  288. 
Guiacuhy,  the  village  of,  i.  358. 
Gypsum  deposits,  ii.  268. 

Halfed,  M.,  sur\’ey  of  the  Rio  Silo 
Francisco,  i.  49. 

Hospitality,  i.  184,  213,  220,  250, 
317,  270;  ii.  2,  20,  37,  44,  53. 
81,  164,  184  ; churlish,  i.  371  ; ii. 
14- 

Hotels  and  inns,  Rio  de  Janeiro, 

i.  17  ; inland,  i.  47,  56,  62,  72, 
87- 

Hunters,  Brazilian,  i.  293  ; ii.  iii. 
Hunting,  i.  112,  109,  260. 

Ibis,  the,  i.  345- 

Igarite,  a decked  river-boat  ifi-gar- 
e-idy),  ii.  264. 

Imbauba  (see  Cecoropid). 

Indian  alarms,  ii.  289;  boys,  ii.  217; 
border-lands, ii.  161 ; magnanimity, 

ii.  276;  paddlers,  ii.  274;  raids 
and  warfare,  ii.  43,  114;  per- 
secution of,  ii.  224,  277,  283 ; 
type  of,  ii.  148,  263,  277  ; the 
Baccahiris,  ii.  263  ; Chcrcntc,  ii. 
162,219;  Coroado,  ii.  161,218; 
Gamella,  ii.  274  ; Guajajara,  ii. 
263  ; Itambeira,  ii.  277,  283,  285; 
Anamljcio,  or  white,  ii.  263 ; 
primitive  races  of  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
i.  19. 

Ing.uivas,  ii.  291. 


Inns  (see  Hotels^. 

Insect  plagues,  i.  90,  147,  150,  221, 
272  ; ii.  23,  32,  172,  175,  283  : 
tortures  of,  i.  i 50  ; ii.  23.  283. 

Ipey  or  I’au  d’Arco  tree,  the,  i.  67. 

Iron  mountains,  i.  96. 

Itacarambi.  Morro  cle,  ii.  11. 

Itaipava,  village  of,  i.  338. 

Itambeira  Indians,  ii.  277,  283, 
285. 

jACARfc  (alligator),  ii.  295  ; seized 
by  piranhas,  ii.  272;  \illageof, 
ii.  8. 

Jaguar,  the,  ii.  196. 

Jalapao,  the  district  of,  ii.  160, 
187. 

Januaria,  the  city  of,  i.  406  to  410. 

Japim  bird,  the,  ii.  94. 

Jararaca  snake,  the,  i.  331,  348. 

Jigger,  the,  bi.\o  de  pe,  ii.  172. 

Juiz  de  Fora,  the  city  of,  i.  46. 

Jurubeba,  the,  i.  144. 

Knifing  is  killing,  not  murder,  in 
Brazil,  i.  199 ; ii.  93. 

Labourers,  i.  199,  267. 

Lagoons,  ii.  61. 

Lakes,  haunted,  i.  280;  ii.  294. 

Land,  large  proprietors  of,  i.  44, 
364 ; cheap  price  of,  ii.  4 ; 
doubtful  ownership  of,  i.  303  ; ii. 
loi  ; in  Brazil  not  so  fertile  as 
is  generally  believed,  ii.  354  ; 
sterile,  ii.  370  ; rich,  ii.  371. 

Landslips  of  the  campos,  ii.  371. 

Lapa  (a  cave),  Sao  Bom  Jezus  de, 
i.  36. 

League,  the  Brazilian,  i.  116. 

Leather  garments  of  the  stock- 
raisers,  i.  159. 

Leather  leggings,  a Brazilian,  ii. 
III. 

Life  in  Brazil,  comparative  safety 
of,  i.  93  ; ii.  255. 


Limestone  rocks,  fantastic  appear- 
ance of,  ii.  10,  36. 

Lizards,  i.  244,  340. 

Lobo-homen  (the  wolf-man),  i. 
280. 

Macaws,  ii.  123. 

Magury  heron,  ii.  289. 

Maize-leaf  cigarettes,  i.  12 1. 

Mandim  fish,  the  croaking,  i.  289. 

Mangabeira,  Chapada  de  (sec 
Chapadti). 

Mangabeira- tree,  the,  i.  254,  268. 

Mantequeira,  Serra  de,  i.  68  ; ii.  361. 

Maracaja,  or  wild  cat,  i.  199. 

Maranhiio,  the  city  of,  ii.  306. 

Marble  deposits,  i.  400. 

Marimbondas,  hornets,  i.  151  ; ii. 
283. 

.Marmosets,  i.  226. 

Marriage,  a country,  i.  234  ; not  an 
indispensable  ceremony  in  inland 
Brazil,  i.  104. 

Marsh  Brejo)  birds,  i.  346;  ii. 
56,  75,  108. 

Mate,  or  Paraguayan  tea,  i.  89. 

Matuto,  peasant,  an  inhabitant  of 
woodlands  in  contradistinction 
to  Sertanejo,  an  inhabitant  of 
the  campos-lands  of  cattle 
districts. 

Mearim,  the  Rio,  ii.  295,  299,  306. 

Menu  of  a country  inn,  i.  58. 

Minas  Geraes,  the  name  of  this 
province  is  indicative  of  its 
mineral  wealth ; the  literal  trans- 
lation is  “ mines  in  general,”  or 
the  land  of  all  kinds  of  minerals. 

Mining  (see  Gold). 

Misery  in  inland  Brazil,  i.  402  ; ii. 
70,  21 1,  228. 

Missionaries,  Italian,  ii.  219. 

Mists,  i.  34,  42,  94.  189. 

Monkey,  the  howling,  ii.  267. 

Montaria,  a small  boat  used  on  the 


382 


Index. 


Amazons  river  and  its  tributaries, 
ii.  217. 

Morality  of  the  matuto,  religious, 

' i-  303- 

Morro  velho  mine,  ii.  328. 

Mortes,  Rio  dos,  origin  of  name  of, 
ii.  32s. 

Mosquitos,  i.  146,  272 ; ii.  22,  32, 
4T,  267  ; how  to  keep  off,  i.  272. 

Motuca  fly,  the,  ii.  90,  283. 

Mountain  peaks  of  Brazil,  ii.  368. 

Mules,  i.  50,  60,  103,  1 19,  121,  387; 

95.  73.  150.  189  ; sufferings  of, 
ii.  189  ; hire  of,  ii.  189. 

Muleteers,  i.  55,  133  ; ii.  238. 

Munducuru,  a candelabra  cactus, 
Morro  do,  ii.  179. 

Mutton,  popular  prejudice  against, 
ii.  20. 

Mutum,  the  curassow,  ii.  198. 

National  beer,  i.  48,  124. 

Native  opinion  of  Englishmen,  i. 
13s  ; ii.  302. 

Natives,  treatment  of,  by  travellers, 
ii.  255. 

Natividade,  an  old  mining  centre, 
ii.  173. 

Negroes,  industrious,  i.  365  ; ii. 
241. 

Neotim,  the  hamlet  of,  i.  1 19. 

Night  scenes  in  camp,  i.  257,  281, 
306,  308,  334,350,  386  ; ii.  12,  21, 
124,  130,  133,  >52.  194,  240;  on 
the  Rio  Sao  Francisco,  ii.  32,  41, 
50  ; on  the  Rio  Grajahu,  ii.  267, 
269,  278,  281,  289,  292. 

Ogre,  a veritable,  ii.  223. 

Old  age  in  Brazil,  49,  204. 

Orchids,  i.  49  ; ii.  19. 

Ostrich,  the  South  American,  ii. 
19. 

Paca,  or  spotted  cavy,  the,  i.  153, 
J90. 


Pacuhy,  the  Rio,  i.  385. 

Paddles,  varieties  of,  ii.  221. 

Padres  (priests),  i.  391  ; ii.  6. 

Palm  forests,  ii.  252,  273  ; the 
Burity,  ii.  113,  121,  131,  139; 
the  Bacaba,  ii.  201  ; the  Guari- 
roba,  i.  288  ; the  Carnahuba,  ii. 
47;  the  Inaja,  ii.  210;  the  Ma- 
raja,  ii.  252,  274;  the  Tucum,  ii. 
201  ; the  Ubussu,  ii.  252. 

Pancadas,  a local  name,  used  to  de- 
signate strong  currents  of  water 
on  the  Rio  do  Somno,  i.  193, 
198,  200. 

Pantanal,  a fen. 

Para,  the  hamlet  of,  ii.  48. 

Paracis  Indians,  the  chief  race  of 
Matto  Grosso,  ii.  263. 

Parahyba,  the  Rio,  i.  43. 

Parahybuna,  the  Rio,  i.  45. 

Pariiopeba,  the  Rio,  i.  114,  122, 
166,  200. 

Partridges,  i.  293. 

Passion-flower,  the  indigenous,  ii. 

19- 

Pasto,  a pasture,  i.  60,  150. 

Pau  d’  Arco,  i.  67  ; great  range  of, 
ii.  94. 

Pau  Pereira  tree,  the,  i.  274. 

Paulo  Affonso,  the  falls  of,  ii.  362. 

Paviio,  or  wild  peacock,  ii.  268. 

Peccaries,  ii.  131,  165,  207  ; de- 
scribed, ii.  137  ; attacked  by,  ii. 
'33- 

Pedra  de  fortaleza,  i.  45. 

Pcdras  de  Maria  da  Cruz,  vilkagc 
of,  i.  401. 

Pedro  Affonso,  the  vill.age  of,  ii. 
215. 

Penelopes,  ii.  275. 

Phosphorescent  fungus,  ii.  126. 

Picada,  a lane  cut  through  the 
woods,  cither  for  the  purpose  of 
surveying,  or  for  a path  or  ;i 
ro.ad,  i.  144. 


Index. 


Pig-sticking,  ii.  141,  150. 

Pindahyba  groves,  i.  266  ; ii.  145. 

Piranha  fish,  the,  i.  343  ; ii.  271, 288, 
295. 

Pirapora  (an  Indian  word  imply- 
ing a fish-leap),  the  rapids  of,  i. 
340,  349;  the  village  of,  i.  341  ; 
e.\cessive  heat  of  the  district  of, 
••  339>  344  ; the  beautiful  vegeta- 
tion of,  i.  350. 

Pium,  sand-flies,  ii.  275,  279,  281. 

Plumbago,  deposits  of,  ii.  260. 

Police,  the  country,  ii.  232. 

Porteira,  the  village  of,  i.  361. 

Porto  Fianco,  ii.  183. 

Prairies  (see  Campos). 

Precautions  against  fevers,  i.  284 ; ii. 
324- 

Produce,  prices  of  country,  i.  297. 

Productions  of  districts,  i.  61,  80, 
82,  III,  224,  297,  329.  343,  377  ; 
ii.  4,  56,  82,  173,232,260,  307. 

Public  gardens  of  Rio,  i.  22. 

Pttlex penetrans.,  ii.  172. 

Queim.^dos,  bush  fires,  i.  205. 

Quilombeiros,  a band  of  outlaws, 
fugitives  slaves,  &c.,  ii.  160. 

R.'tBBITS,  i.  346. 

Race,  a,  i.  259  ; ii.  272. 

Raft,  the  Burity  frond,  ii.  190,  206. 

Rafting,  ii.  193  to  213. 

Railways  in  Brazil,  State,  ii.  332  ; 
national,  ii.  335  ; British,  ii.  337  ; 
the  Dom  Pedro  .Segundo,  i.  21, 
38,  41,  358;  ii.  332. 

Rainy  seasons,  ii.  98, 178,  185,  188  ; 
depressing  effects  of,  ii.  5,  13. 

Rancho,  a hut,  i.  289. 

Rapids  (see  Cachoeira),  shooting,  i. 
337  ; ii-  193,  200,  203. 

Rattlesnakes,  i.  181,  394;  ii.  251. 

Restillo  (see  Cachaqa). 

Rhea  Americana,  i.  208. 


Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  river  of  January, 
so  named  by  the  first  discoverer 
on  entering  it  the  first  time 
during  this  month,  and  imagining 
it  to  be  the  mouth  of  a great 
river  instead  of  a bay. 

Rio  das  Balsas,  ii.  209 ; Diogo,  ii. 
147;  Parahyba,  i.  43;  Parahy- 
buna,  i.  45  : Grande,  ii.  71  ; Gra- 
jahu,  ii.  266  ; Carinhanha,  ii.  314; 
Preto,  ii.  74,  115  ; Somno,  ii.  193; 
Sao  Francisco,  ii.  366;  Tocantins, 
ii.  222  ; Mearim,  ii.  305  ; Perdido, 
ii.  212;  .Sapao,  ii.  117;  das 
Mortes,  ii.  325;  das  Velhas,  i.  358 ; 
da  Tapera  Grande,  i.  325  ; Para- 
catu,  i.  328;  Jiquitahy,  i.  366; 
Maracaja,  ii.  285. 

Roads,  macadamized,  i.  45  ; want 
of,  i.  401  ; natural,  i.  83  ; sandy 
ii.  255  ; forest,  i.  65,  400  ; moun- 
tain, i.  65,  98;  ii.  249;  bridgeless, 

i-  379  > the  Uniao  e Industria, 

i.  45. 

Ro?a,  a mixed  plantation  of  maize, 
beans,  manioc,  potatoes,  &c. 
Rodrigues,  the  tropeiro,  ii.  77,  80, 
107,  1 16,  136,  189. 

Sailing  on  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco, 

ii-  33- 

Saline  properties  deficient  in  Bra- 
zilian grasses,  i.  195. 

Salt,  largely  imported,  ii.  188; 
licks,  ii.  123;  costliness  of,  ii. 
123,  188,  21 1. 

Samambaia  bracken,  the,  ii.  166, 
187. 

Sand-flies,  i.  279. 

Sandy  regions,  ii.  245,  255  ; roads, 

ii.  239. 

Santa  Maria,  the  hamlet  of,  ii. 
•13- 

Santa  Quiteria,  the  town  of,  i.  173. 
Santa  Rita,  the  town  of,  ii.  81. 


384 


Index. 


Sao  Bom  Jezus  da  Lapa,  the  cave, 
church,  and  village  of,  ii.  37. 

Sao  Francisco,  Rio  de,  junction  of, 
with  the  Rio  das  Velhas,  i.  360 ; 
the  valley  of  the,  i.  31 1,  337; 
the  climate  of  the,  ii.  367;  source 
of  the,  i.  340  ; fevers  of  the,  i.  291 ; 
ii.  17  ; vegetation  of  the,  ii.  367  ; 
the  swamps  of  the,  i.  312 ; ii.  55  ; 
diamond  regions  of  the,  i.  264, 
329,  341;  trade  of  the,  ii.  334; 
railways  to  the,  ii.  334  ; pro- 
posed new  province  of,  ii.  43  ; 
the  barca  of  the,  i.  407 ; the 
barqueiro  of  the,  ii.  35 ; fish  of 
the,  i.  343  ; a storm  on  the,  ii. 
41  ; nights  on  the,  ii.  32,  41,  50  ; 
length  of  the,  i.  340. 

Sao  Gonijalo  da  Ponte,  the  village 
of,  i.  100. 

Sao  Joao  d’  El  Rey,  the  city  of,  i. 
73  ; the  gold-mine  of,  ii.  328. 

Silo  Jose,  the  village  of,  i.  106. 

Sapao,  the  Rio,  ii.  1 17. 

Sapucainha  tree,  the,  ii.  248. 

Satin  spar,  deposits  of,  ii.  268. 

Sauba  ant,  the,  ii.  53. 

Saudades  {sah-oo-daht/ys),  i.  247. 

Schoolmaster,  a country,  ii.  70. 

Serenhema,  the,  i.  207. 

Serpents,  i.  347. 

Serra  (sdir-rah),  a mountain  range; 
thetermis,  however,  often  applied 
in  Brazil  to  the  bluffs  of  table- 
lands ; of  the  Apertada  Hora,  ii. 
206;  serras  of  Brazil,  ii.  359;  de 
Boas  Mortes,  i.  95  ; de  Bo- 
queirao,  ii.  69;  da  Cinta,  ii.  250; 
do  Genipapo,  i.  360 ; do  Mar,  ii. 
361  ; de  Mantequeira,  i.  65  ; 
dos  Orgilos,  ii.  361;  de  Tres 
Irm.ios,  i.  122  ; do  Tipy,  ii.  85  ; 
Monte  Marius,  i.  77. 

Seitao  {sair-i6u7i),  the  name  of 
many  of  the  elevated  campos-  ‘ 


lands  of  Brazil,  where  tjie  occu- 
pations of  the  inhabitants  are 
mainly  those  of  cattle-farmers, 
i.  219,  252. 

Sertanejo  {sair-iar?t-dyc-shu),  an 
inhabitant  of  the  Sertao,  i.  240, 
252. 

Sessions  of  Chapada,  the,  ii.  261. 

Shooting,  i.  112,  190,  260;  ii.  55, 
108,  127,  129. 

Shupd  bee,  curious  nests  of  the,  ii. 
197. 

Sitio  de  Matto,  the  town  of,  ii.  43. 

Slaves,  i.  161,  179,  196  ; ii.  187. 

Snags,  trunks  and  roots  of  fallen 
trees  that  obstruct  the  navigation 
of  rivers,  ii.  276. 

Snakes,  varieties  of,  i.  201,  244, 
2871  33 '>  348  ; ii.  267  ; vitality  of, 
i.  246  ; adventures  with,  i.  331, 
347  ; ii.  181  ; poison  of  (a  sub- 
cutaneous injection  of  perman- 
ganate of  potash,  is  a most 
efficacious  and  the  best  antidote, 
and  is  largely  used  in  Brazil  with 
very  great  success). 

Soil,  varieties  of,  i.  54,  83,  86,  117, 
•33.  375  ; >'•  89,  99  ; peculiar  to 
Brazil,  ii.  372  ; of  Brazil  not  so 
fertile  as  it  is  generally  believed 
to  be,  ii.  354. 

Socco  (bittern),  ii.  272,  289. 

Solitude,  the  doubtful  pleasures  of, 
i.  350;  ii.  185. 

.Somno,  the  Rio  do,  ii.  193  to  213. 

Spoonbills,  ii.  43. 

Sport  (see  Hunting,  Fishing,  Shoot- 

S])olted  cavy,  the,  i.  153,  190. 

Sting-ray  (Aranha  d’  agua),  ii.  176. 

Stock-raising,  ii.  186. 

Storms,  i.  137,  169;  ii.  7,  40,  177, 
195,  300. 

Students,  Brazilian,  ii.  45. 

Succurihu  {Foo-koo-rc-yoo)  l)oa,the, 


Indkx. 


3S5 


i.  34S;  ii.  167;  top-boots  made 
from  the  skin  of,  ii.  171. 

Sugar-mills,  ii.  340 ; regions,  ii.307, 
336,  337 ; the  most  effective 
crusher  of  cane,  ii.  225. 

Sumidouro,  a sink,  or  places  where 
a body  of  running  water  dis- 
appears by  a subterranean  chan- 
nel, ii.  204. 

Sunday  travelling,  the  misfortunes 
of,  i.  287 ; in  country  villages,  i. 
132,  216;  at  Fazenda  Mesquita, 

i.  164. 

Sunset  effects,  i.  349;  ii.  76,  196, 
206,  28 1 . 

Sunstroke,  an  attack  of,  i.  344. 

Superstition,  i.  264,  280,  287,  351 ; 

ii.  39,  74,  294. 

Surubim  fish,  the,  i.  261,  343  ; ii. 
23.3.  273- 

Surveying  through  marsh,  forest, 
and  prairie,  i.  157,  220,  293,  323. 

Sussu-apara,  the  largest  species  of 
deer  in  Brazil ; adventure  with  a, 
ii.  182. 

Swamps  (see  Brejos). 

Swine,  Brazilian,  i.  342,  390. 

TABLE-LANDSof  Brazil,  exhilarating 
climate  of,  i.  368 ; areas  and 
characteristics  of  the,  ii.  370. 

Taboleiro  Grande,  the  village  of> 
i.  215. 

Taboleiro  {tah~bo-Uy-rd),  a traj',  a 
wide  flat  surface,  the  name  also 
of  the  gently  undulating  plains 
of  the  summits  of  table-lands. 

Tamandua  Bandeira,  the  great  ant- 
eater,  ii.  141. 

Tapirs,  i.  197. 

Tapuyos  {tah-po6-yews),  wild  In- 
dians ; the  word  “ gentiho  ” is  also 
used  with  a similar  meaning  (see 
Indians). 

Tea,  Brazilian,  i.  89. 

VOL.  II. 


Temperature  of  Brazil,  ii.  316. 

Ticks,  varieties  of,  i.  90,  1 50. 

Timber,  why  it  is  so  expensive  in 
Brazil,  i.  399. 

Tin  regions,  i.  156. 

Tocantins,  the  Rio;  aspect  of,  . 
222,  228  v’oyaging  on,  ii.  228  ; 
trade  and  navigation  of,  216; 
not  a tributary  of  the  Rio 
Amazons,  ii.  364 ; the  valley  of, 
ii.  228. 

Toucan,  the,  1.  345. 

Trade  and  traders,  ii.  69,  83,  216, 
232,  255,  262,  299,  304  ; the  com- 
merce of  Brazil,  ii.  351. 

Tramping  on  foot,  ii.  216,  232. 

Transport  of  goods  and  baggage, 
1.  106,  301,  320,  332. 

Travelling  in  Brazil,  comfortable 
costume  for,  ii.  243  ; safety  of, 
ii.  93  ; arduous  life  of,  ii.  251. 

Travessia  (.(rahves-se-ah),  meaning 
of  the  word,  ii  85. 

Tropeiro  {Jru-pay-roiu),  a mule- 
teer, i.  121,  133,  359. 

Tropical  light  and  shade,  i.  9.  118, 
122, 160,  217,  362,376;  ii.  76,  293. 

Toucinho  (too-seen-yo).  The  outer 
fatty  covering  of  the  bodies  of 
pigs  is  cut  off  from  the  flesh,  in 
one  sheet,  it  is  then  gashed  with 
a knife,  salt  is  sprinkled  over 
and  rubbed  in,  and  finally  the 
whole  is  made  up  into  a roll,  and 
constitutes  the  toucinho  of  com- 
merce. The  thickness  varies 
according  to  the  fatness  of  the 
animal,  and  a pig  is  classified 
as  “ two,  three,  four,  or  five 
fingered,”  the  standard  of  the 
thickness  of  a finger  being 
adopted  for  measuring  the  thick- 
ness of  fat  that  the  animal  will 
show  when  killed.  This  product 
is  used  by  all  classes  in  Brazil  as 
C C 


386 


Index. 


the  main  basis  of  all  culinary 
operations. 

Tucum  palm,  the,  ii.  202. 

Turbulent  districts,  ii.  51. 

Vampire  bats,  ii.  116,  122. 

Vanilla,  wild,  i.  268. 

V'^elhas,  Rio  das,  i.  357. 

Vellozias,  or  tree-lilies,  li.  122. 
Venda,  a general  store  of  groceries, 
hardware,  dry  and  wet  goods,  i. 
123. 

Victoria,  the  town  of,  i.  297. 

Villa  Pastura,  the  barca,  ii.  9. 
Vulture,  the  urubu,  i.  41. 

Under  canvas,  i.  218,  257,  281  ; ii. 
195. 

Uniao  e Industria  road,  i.  44. 


Urubu,  the  town  of,  ii.  43. 

Wake,  a Brazilian,  ii.  104. 

War  of  the  Guimaraes,  ii.  51. 
Water  in  Brazil,  abundance  of,  ii. 

369- 

Water-hog,  a pest  to  farmers,  i.  1 53  ; 
ii.  109. 

Water-lilies,  a river  obstructed  by, 
ii.  63. 

Watersheds,  i.  86  ; ii.  117, 141,  359. 
White  Indians  ii.  263. 

Whetstones,  a hill  of,  ii.  268. 
Wilderness,  sighting  strangers  in 
the,  ii.  155. 

Wolf,  the  guara,  i.  226. 

Yellow  fever,  i.  28  ; ii.  324. 


THE  END. 


LONDON : 

PRINTED  HY  GILBERT  AND  KIVINGTON,  LD., 
ST.  JOHN’S  HOUSE,  CLERKEN  WELL  ROAD,  E.i 


